An age old question

I ended the study on the names of God with my students this month. At the end of the study I asked them the same question I had asked them at the beginning of this study, "Who is God?" I gave them time to think over everything we had learned and to write down their answers. I then shared with them a story that happened to me this time last year. I was working in a cafeteria at my university and on my 15 minute break would sit down and read the book
"Practicing the Presence of God" (highly recommend it). On one of my breaks a co-worker came over and sat across from me. He asked me about what I was reading and I explained it a little to him. I will never forget the next thing he asked me, "Who is God?" A million things ran through my head, one of them being... did he really just ask me this. I sat there and thought for a moment and then proceeded to try and describe my God, who is infinitely greater than any words I could utter.

As I told this story to my students I watched as they connected what we had been doing all semester to something much greater than themselves. One of my sixth graders raised her hand and said, "Can I share what I would have said?" "Of course" I replied. She explained that it was not the same thing that she had written down. I listened as she shared from her heart who God is to her.

That is what this is all about.

The day before I had asked my students to pick one of their favorite names and explain why this name was important to them. Here is what some of them said:

 "Avi is my favorite name of God because it means father and when I think of father I think of love."

"Yahweh Chelqi means my portion. I know that everyone has their own portion of God. I like this name because everybody has as much of God as they need. He is big enough for all of us."

"Avi means father. One reason Avi means a lot to me is because God is the perfect father. I know God loves me and I love Him. My father on earth is my father but he is not perfect."

"Naddir Kavod- majestic glory. This name is special to me because God is beyond what we can imagine when we think of His glory."

Oh, that they would not quickly forget who our great God is.