God-Image and Career

We all have an image of god(s)—a higher power. Even those who don’t believe in any god still have an image of god—he or she does not exist. I’m not arguing if any god-image is accurate, but rather to consider how our beliefs about a higher power impact our lives as our god-image influences how we see the world and our role in it. ​​​​​​​​
Our god-image impacts our behavior- do we need to act in a certain way and be a certain type of person to please god? Or do we need to refrain from doing things in order to avoid damnation? What does our god-image say about our power to create and lead? What does our god-image say about money? Where is the feminine in the god-image? ​​​​​​​​
In some cases, our god-image is very empowering—but, that is not always the case. The god-images of many religions influence how we see ourselves based on gender. For instance, if only men can be church leaders and women only play a supporting role in church leadership how does that impact people both consciously and unconsciously? ​​​​​​​​Does this impact women’s unconscious beliefs about their own abilities and/or right to be a leader? I don’t know, but I think we should be asking the question as these unconscious beliefs directly impact our ideas about ourselves, our careers, and our power and agency in this world.
It’s important to think about our early exposure to the god-image as those early teachings often form the foundation of our worldview, which is often unconscious. We take in their teachings before we are young enough to discern which ones feel “right” to us. Thus, those early beliefs may sit deep in our bones, and we don’t realize it.