We humans have an unshakable urge to name things. Names give us comfort, a sense of control over the vast unknown. When we name something, we feel as though we’ve contained it, understood it, made it ours in some small way. And yet, when it comes to God—the infinite, the cosmos, everything visible and invisible—does any name really suffice?
I find it fascinating, and maybe a little amusing, how we’ve tried to encapsulate something as vast as existence itself into a single word: God, Allah, Brahman, Yahweh, Source, Universe, Creator. Each culture, each belief system, each heart, it seems, seeks its own label for what cannot be fully defined. But these names, though sacred to many, feel like whispers in the wind compared to the grandeur they attempt to describe.
God as the Cosmos, the All
To me, God is not something to be boxed into a word or an image. God is everything. God is the unfathomable mystery of the cosmos. The stars that light up the night, the oceans that kiss the shores, the love that weaves its way through our lives. God is in every atom of the visible and the invisible. God is not confined to a temple, a church, or a mosque but flows through everything, including you, me, and even the spaces between us.
When I think of my mother, who has returned to this infinite source, I don’t imagine her “elsewhere.” Instead, I see her in everything around me. She’s in the breeze that touches my face, in the memories that fill my heart, in the quiet moments when the world feels still, yet alive with meaning. She is part of this infinite, nameless presence that we call God.
The Beauty in Choosing a Name
Still, I understand the human need to choose a name, a symbol, something to hold onto in our search for connection. Choosing a name for God is not foolish—it’s deeply human. It’s an act of love, an attempt to build a bridge between ourselves and the divine. When a child calls their parent “Mom” or “Dad,” it doesn’t encompass everything that parent is, but it conveys the relationship, the love, and the bond. Perhaps naming God is a little like that.
These names become personal. For some, God is a Father; for others, a Mother, a Friend, or an Energy. It doesn’t matter what we call this infinite presence. What matters is the relationship we have with it.
God Is Beyond Us, Yet Within Us
What makes this naming so poignant, yet so unnecessary, is that God isn’t “out there.” God is within us, between us, around us. We are not separate from this infinite presence we strive to name. When we laugh, God laughs. When we love, God loves. When we grieve, God holds us tenderly, even as we rail against the seeming unfairness of it all.
Perhaps the ultimate truth is this: God doesn’t need a name. God simply is. And when I say that my mother has returned to God, I don’t mean she’s gone somewhere far away. She’s simply returned to the everything, to the whole, to the infinite love and mystery that has always been here.
A Conversation Without Words
If we let go of the need to name, to define, we can experience God in ways that transcend language. A sunset, a child’s laughter, the ache of missing someone you love—all of it speaks of the divine. Maybe instead of trying to name God, we should let God name us, through the experiences and connections that shape who we are.
So, while I smile at the beautiful, creative ways we humans attempt to label the unlabelable, I also remind myself: God is beyond words, yet closer than breath. And that’s more than enough.
—
What do you think? Does God need a name, or do names serve more to guide us than define God? Let’s talk in the comments—your trail of thoughts is always welcome here.
