BELIEFS THAT MATTER:

God as Our Divine Parent: Growing the Human Spirit

In my journey of faith, one of the most profound realizations I’ve had is the understanding of God as a divine parent. Just as a loving parent provides guidance, correction, and unconditional love to their child, I believe God does the same for us on our spiritual journey. This parental role shapes my entire view of spiritual growth. Every challenge, every moment of joy or sorrow, is an opportunity to grow closer to God. And even in our struggles, I believe God never abandons us. This understanding of God’s parental role forms the foundation of how I view our spiritual development, the trials we face in life, and even the role of temptation and hell—not as tools of punishment, but as mechanisms for growth.

The Breath of Life: Spiritual and Physical Creation

I believe that every person carries the breath of life, which is both a physical and spiritual gift from God. This breath, breathed into us by God, connects our spirit to our physical body and gives us the opportunity to experience the material world, to learn, grow, and ultimately become who we were created to be. Our spirits, I believe, originate from God. They are divine in nature and carry with them a piece of God’s essence. When bound to our physical form, our spirits experience the limitations and challenges of the material world, but this is part of the process of growth and refinement. When our physical body dies, I believe the spirit continues its journey, no longer constrained by the limitations of the material body but still connected to God.

God’s Role in Spiritual Growth

It is through this breath of life that we experience our physical existence and remain connected to God, who, as a divine parent, lovingly guides us through every phase of our journey—both in the physical world and beyond. God’s guidance in our spiritual growth is not heavy-handed or authoritarian but compassionate and loving. As an all-knowing and all-powerful being, God could easily control every aspect of our lives. However, I believe that He chooses not to. Instead, God allows us to exercise free will, experience the consequences of our choices, and grow through them. This divine guidance is often subtle. God knows exactly what I need to face in order to develop, and He ensures that I am never alone on this journey. Even in the hardest moments, His presence is constant. He is the divine parent who allows us to stumble, fall, and learn, but He is always nearby, ready to help us up and guide us forward.

Temptation as a Catalyst for Growth

Temptation plays a vital role in our spiritual journey. Without it, we would have no need for free will, and our growth would be stagnant. I believe that temptations are not meant to lead us astray but to provide opportunities to choose our path. They present us with challenges, giving us the chance to either follow God’s guidance or take a different route. It is through these moments of choice that we develop spiritual resilience, strength and understanding.

Satan, often perceived as an adversary, plays a part in this process, but not outside of God’s will. I believe that Satan operates within boundaries set by God and that his influence is ultimately used by God to refine us. The temptations we face are not meant to destroy us but to provide opportunities to exercise our free will and demonstrate our commitment to God’s guidance. Even when we fail, these moments of temptation serve a greater purpose—pushing us to reflect, learn, and return to a closer relationship with God.

Sin, Consequences, and Divine Love

When we give in to temptation, the result is sin—acting outside of God’s guidance. However, I do not believe that sin represents permanent failure. Instead, I see it as part of a learning process, much like a child who makes a mistake and faces the consequences. These consequences are not meant to punish us in the traditional sense but to help us understand where we’ve gone wrong and to learn from God’s guidance.

God’s love, I believe, is unwavering. Even when we sin, His love remains constant, and He uses the consequences of our actions as teaching tools. God, as our divine parent, never abandons us, no matter how far we stray. The experiences we face—both positive and negative—are all part of the journey toward spiritual growth, and God is always present, ready to guide us back to the right path.

Hell as a Space for Reflection and Growth

The concept of hell as a place of spiritual refinement raises the question of whether a spirit can leave hell. My research into various religious traditions suggests that many view hell not as a final destination but as a temporary state where the spirit reflects and learns. Christian Universalism, Kabbalistic Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism all hold ideas that align with this view, presenting hell as a place for purification or reflection rather than eternal punishment.

So what do I believe about hell? I believe that hell is a created place by God, designed with a divine purpose that aligns with His other attributes. As such, I struggle to believe that hell is a place of eternal punishment, as this doesn’t fit with the character of an all-loving God. Parents don’t put children into eternal punishment without giving them as many opportunities as necessary to learn from their mistakes and be allowed to reunite with their parents. Instead, I believe that hell is more like a safe space, designed by God to give us the time and separation needed to reflect on our choices—much like a time-out where an unruly child can be away from stimuli to reflect on their behavior.

In this divine safe space we are given a time-out where I believe we experience a form of hell as God places us in a space to reflect on our actions. Keep in mind, though, that like a parent, He never truly abandons us. Hell is not about being forsaken, but about having the opportunity to learn and grow in a state where we can feel the full weight of our separation from God. It is within this space that we are able to continue to experience our conscience and reflect on Satan's influence, but this serves as a tool for building spiritual resilience in an effort to help us make better choices in the future.

Ultimately though, I believe that God remains nearby, watching over us as we navigate this period of reflection. He is always ready to bring us back into His presence when we are prepared to return. The time we spend in this state of separation, whether brief or extended, is dependent on what God sees as necessary to allow us the time and space to learn the lessons that God knows we need to absorb. Hell, therefore, is not a permanent destination but a transformative space, designed to lead us back to God, stronger and more spiritually attuned.

Hell and The Possibility of Reincarnation

If hell serves as a place of spiritual refinement, it would stand to reason that a spirit might indeed leave hell. I believe that God’s love and mercy are too great to allow a spirit to remain in eternal separation without the opportunity for growth and redemption. Much like a parent who gives their child multiple chances to learn from their mistakes, God allows the spirit to continue its journey once it has learned its lessons.

This idea aligns with the biblical teachings found in Mark 5:1-13 where Jesus casts out a legion of spirits from a man, sending them into a herd of pigs. This story shows that spirits are not bound to one form—they can move between different forms. If spirits can leave one body and enter another, it opens up the possibility that God might use reincarnation as part of His divine plan, allowing spirits to re-enter new bodies to continue their process of growth and refinement.

The concept of reincarnation offers a powerful vision of divine justice. If we believe that God gives each spirit the opportunity to grow and learn, it makes sense that He might allow spirits to experience different circumstances across multiple lives. Through reincarnation, a spirit might be born into lives of wealth, poverty, privilege, or hardship, each offering unique challenges. These experiences allow the spirit to develop the empathy, wisdom, and resilience necessary to grow closer to God.

Reincarnation allows for a purposeful journey of spiritual growth across many lifetimes. It ensures that every spirit has the opportunity to continue its spiritual development, facing new challenges and learning from its mistakes. God’s love is too vast to limit a spirit’s journey to a single lifetime. Instead, He provides multiple chances for growth, just as a loving parent gives their child the time and space needed to learn and evolve.

Conclusion: God’s Purpose in Our Growth

Ultimately, I believe that God, as our divine parent, loves us unconditionally and uses every experience—temptation, sin, and even hell—to guide us toward spiritual growth. The breath of life that God has given us connects us to Him in ways that transcend our physical existence, allowing us to grow closer to Him through each step of our journey. Whether through temptations, moments of separation, or the experience of hell, God is always present, watching over us, and ready to guide us back to His love.

The process of spiritual growth may be challenging, but it is through these challenges that we come to understand the depth of God’s love and the purpose He has for our lives. Hell, far from being a place of eternal punishment, is part of that process—a space where we can reflect, learn, and grow. And just as a parent gives their child countless opportunities to learn and return, I believe God offers us the same grace, guiding us back to Him with love, patience, and a divine plan for our continued growth.

OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING POSTS: