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So if I was being told that there is this immensely loving, powerful God that knows
everything, I think one of my first questions would be "when can we hang out?" It sounds
like God's got some good things going on, so how do I get closer, how do I have a connection
with God? Swedenborg put it this way: people form an inner, or spiritual connection to
each other when they share similar values. Even if you're traveling somewhere and meeting
someone for the first time, if you find that they care deeply about something that you
do, there's a certain familiarity already there--you're already close in some ways.
The same principle applies to God--so the more we can be like God, the closer we draw
to God. Obviously, we can't be like God in terms of power or knowledge or the ability
to create and sustain reality, but we can take small steps toward becoming similar in
intentions. God's values, or driving interests are to selflessly love, serve, and help absolutely
everyone, and to make their long-term happiness the number one priority. So every action we
take to cultivate those same values and goals in ourselves is a little shuffle of the feet
toward a closer, deeper connection with God.