Thinking about Him or of Him?

"I've been thinking of you". These are the types of cards that I like to give and get. To think that someone would dedicate any amount of their brain to thoughts of me is comforting on a variety of levels. Now, I may be making too much of this, but there is something quite different, in my mind, about thinking "of" someone when compared to thinking "about" someone. If I see an apple I think about my wife. She grew up around people who grew apples for a living and she has taught me everything that I know today about apples. Like never eat a Granny Smith or you can tell that it is a Macintosh because the flesh is a little softer than most apples. So apples cause me to think about Nan. Now, altogether different is thinking "of" her when, for example, I know that she is going to be going through something difficult or particularly pleasant at such and such a time. That causes me to pray, or rejoice, or try to enter into her happiness or sorrow as she is experiencing that particular thing. "About" seems to be born out of information while "of" seems, to me, to be born out of love.

I love thinking about God. There is no end to intellectual inquiry concerning His nature and His Son, Jesus either in this life or in the life to come. To me, thinking about God is quite easy and often very relaxing. Thinking "of" God is a little different. Because it does not happen too often for me I wonder if thinking of God would motivate me to do the right thing when presented with a choice. In other words, it is easier for me to think about God's omnipresence (the fact that He fills the universe with His presence) but quite a bit different for me to think of Him when I am tempted to sin. "About" is more inquisitive..."of" is more relational. In other words, there is not much of a relationship if all I ever do is think about Him. Just like when I hear American Graffiti I think about Harrison Ford. But, having never met the man nor understanding what his present joys and struggles are, I have never thought of him.

I pray that my thoughts of God will be more numerous today than they were yesterday.