--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In recent years my understanding of God…" description: "\"In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality, the A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png" --- # In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into… ![“In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality, the Absolute, or the One who holds us in being. I do believe that God is beyond any form and image, but it has grown clear to me that I need an image in…” quote by Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png) > “In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality, the Absolute, or the One who holds us in being. I do believe that God is beyond any form and image, but it has grown clear to me that I need an image in order to relate. I need an image in order to carry on an intimate conversation with what is so vast, amorphous, mysterious, and holy that it becomes ungraspable. I mean, really, how to you become intimate with Divine Reality? Or the Absolute?” [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees God as an abstract, for reality that feels too vast for personal connection, so she seeks a concrete image to make intimacy possible. **In simple terms:** Abstract divinity feels distant; an image makes it relatable. Key Takeaway Human need for tangible symbols to relate to the ineffable. Themes spirituality symbolism human experience theology Mood reflective longing Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal prayer - artistic representation of the divine - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts the limits of abstraction psychology of belief Practical Applications - Use visual metaphors in meditation - Create personal symbols for spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - How does a concrete image shape one's perception of the divine? - Can intimacy with an abstract concept be achieved without visual aids? A Different Perspective Relying on images may reduce the mystery that inspires awe and can lead to idolatry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Intimate conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-conversation/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-god/) ## Related quotes > [He who searches for Divine Reality with all his heart and soul and finds it, becomes aware that, before he began to seek God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhu-sundar-singh/he-who-searches-for-divine-reality-with-all-his-heart-and-soul-and/) [Sadhu Sundar Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhu-sundar-singh/) > [“Dreams translate the needs of our soul to provide opportunity for our conscious to divine it into reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/dreams-translate-the-needs-of-our-soul-to-provide-opportunity-for-our/) Truth Devour > [The pain does not bring perfection because the pain is from Satan. The Great Divine Reality is happiness, peace, abundance and perfection. The Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/the-pain-does-not-bring-perfection-because-the-pain-is-from-satan-the/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [Divine reality is not way up in the sky somewhere; it is readily available in the encounters of everyday life, which make hash of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/divine-reality-is-not-way-up-in-the-sky-somewhere-it-is-readily/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [“Divine revelation is altogether more powerful. When God reveals divine reality to us, real transformation takes place. When we truly know the things of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-felker-jones/divine-revelation-is-altogether-more-powerful-when-god-reveals-divine/) Beth Felker Jones > [What is emitted from the divine, though it be only like the reflection from the fire, still has the divine reality in itself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/what-is-emitted-from-the-divine-though-it-be-only-like-the-reflection/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) > [True faith is belief in the reality of absolute values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/true-faith-is-belief-in-the-reality-of-absolute-values/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [“Reality is an absolute, existence is an absolute, a speck of dust is an absolute and so is a human life. Whether you live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/reality-is-an-absolute-existence-is-an-absolute-a-speck-of-dust-is-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [What is the Absolute? Something that appears to us in fleeting experiences--say, through the gentle smile of a beautiful woman, or even through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/what-is-the-absolute-something-that-appears-to-us-in-fleeting/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [There can be no absolute reality, there can be no absolute truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-warwick/there-can-be-no-absolute-reality-there-can-be-no-absolute-truth/) [Kevin Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-warwick/) > [“In the relative, one is the self and in reality, One is the absolute Self! As long as transactions of temporary things are ongoing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-relative-one-is-the-self-and-in-reality-one-is-the-absolute/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Did it ever occur to you, that there is no conflict of interests among men, neither in business nor in trade nor in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/did-it-ever-occur-to-you-that-there-is-no-conflict-of-interests-among-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Children, brought up naturally and in freedom, not only have imagination, but live in a world of imagination more real to them than our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-hawthorne/children-brought-up-naturally-and-in-freedom-not-only-have/) [Julian Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-hawthorne/) > [“For Hegel, reality is the absolute, which exists in a dialectical evolution that is logical and rational in character. According to his famous statement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juli-n-mar-as/for-hegel-reality-is-the-absolute-which-exists-in-a-dialectical/) Julián Marías > [“The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escapes responsibility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-man-who-refuses-to-judge-who-neither-agrees-nor-disagrees-who-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Sue Monk Kidd > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“It's part of our overall Body Negation Program.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-part-of-our-overall-body-negation-program/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“That was the thing mauma and I loved, our time with the quilts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/that-was-the-thing-mauma-and-i-loved-our-time-with-the-quilts/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The mermaids came to me finally, in the pink hours of my life. They are my consolation. For them I dove with arms outstretched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-mermaids-came-to-me-finally-in-the-pink-hours-of-my-life-they-are/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I eventually found that the soul is more than an immortal commodity to win and save. It is the repository of the inner divine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-eventually-found-that-the-soul-is-more-than-an-immortal-commodity/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Readiness for dying arrives by attending the smallest moment and finding the eternal inside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/readiness-for-dying-arrives-by-attending-the-smallest-moment-and/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-sat-at-her-desk-and-turned-one-page-after-another-staring-at-what/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/) [sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“afflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/afflicted-with-the-worst-female-curse-on-earth-the-need-to-mold/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Her forbidden bath all those months ago still hung leaden between us, though Handful didn't seem the least bit ashamed by my discovery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/her-forbidden-bath-all-those-months-ago-still-hung-leaden-between-us/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Why should God’s perfection be based on having an unchanging nature?” I asked. “Isn’t flexibility more perfect than stasis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/why-should-god-s-perfection-be-based-on-having-an-unchanging-nature-i/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“There are things without explanation, moments when life will become arranged in such odd ways that you imagine a whole vocabulary of meaning inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-are-things-without-explanation-moments-when-life-will-become/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Explore all 584 Sue Monk Kidd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality, the Absolute, or the One who holds us in being. I do believe that God is beyond any form and image, but it has grown clear to me that I need an image in order to relate. I need an image in order to carry on an intimate conversation with what is so vast, amorphous, mysterious, and holy that it becomes ungraspable. I mean, really, how to you become intimate with Divine Reality? Or the Absolute?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sue Monk Kidd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/sue-monk-kidd-404_believe_in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god_4769.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think…” — Sue Monk Kidd", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sue Monk Kidd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In recent years my understanding of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```