Attaching to God: Neuroscience-informed Spiritual Formation 137 What If God Actually Likes You?
Mar 24, 2026
They reframe God as joyful rather than stern, exploring how a smiling presence amplifies joy and restores peace. They link parent-infant eye contact to neural circuits that build resilience. A guided relational practice invites noticing faces of delight and imagining a welcoming, attuned presence toward you.
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Why We Imagine God As Stern Instead Of Joyful
- Many people default to imagining God as stern, aloof, or judgmental rather than joyful and present.
- Geoff and Cyd link that perception to family formation, church stories, and cultural encounters that trained a fear-based image of God.
Geoff's Birthday Books And Disappearing Into Poetry
- Geoff celebrated a birthday and received several poetry books including T.S. Eliot and Rilke.
- He jokes he'll disappear into his new books, illustrating personal delight and savoring of gifts.
How Everyday Encounters Train A Watchful God Image
- Social environments beyond parents (church, school, strangers) shape our sense of being seen and judged.
- Cyd recalls being shushed in a library to show how impersonal community interactions teach vigilance, not delight.
