Breaking Free from the God Who is Always Disappointed in You
The Four Ways Our Perception of God Shapes Us
For much of my life, I believed that God was reasonably disappointed in me — a belief that shaped every interaction I had with Him.
I don’t know where this idea started, but I suspect it has its roots in my evangelical church upbringing where God was portrayed as a stern, all-seeing judge, always watching and assessing every thought, and every action. Growing up in church, the focus was often on sin, repentance, and the need to “get right with God” rather than on grace, mercy, or acceptance. This view painted God as someone who loved humanity in a general sense but who had high expectations and a quick trigger for disappointment.
Even as a six-year-old, I remember singing songs in Sunday School like:
“Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
There’s a Father up above
And he’s looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see”
That song, with its cheerful tune and simple words, felt anything but light-hearted to me. The idea that God was watching, even when I was just a kid trying to make sense of the world, was terrifying. The line “looking down in love” sounded more like “watching for any mistake” to my young mind…
