What is God's Name?

10 years ago I was seeing a Catholic spiritual director named Bill Creed. At the end of one session, he asked me, “David, what is your name for God?”

I was stumped for a second, then groped for an answer, “I don’t know, I suppose ‘Love’ or something like that.”

I must not have sounded too convinced because Bill said, “Well, think on it, and let it come to you.”

(Beauty by M. David Orr, watercolor, 22" x 30," 1994)

The next time we met, I knew instinctively that my answer was “Beauty.” My name for God is Beauty. To give you a feel for what I mean, Her picture is displayed above.

OK, it’s really a painting of Christy Turlington, the model, but you get the feeling, right? Hey, I’m an artist! You didn’t expect my image of God to look like a stodgy old man, did you? This is how God feels to me—sweet, beautiful, creative, the source of joy and life.

Copyright 2006 by M. David Orr