To gain a further perspective of what God is, it is also important to understand what God isn't. We could make a list of what God is not that could go on ad infinitum, but some more important aspects of what God isn't may be helpful to develop a more realistic perspective of God. God isn't human. We have "humanized" God, but God is not human. God is God. The Creator is perfect and unwavering. We have anthropomorphized God by creating a god in our own image with the weaknesses of human nature. But that is an incomplete and inaccurate picture of God.
For those who had inadequate or absent father figures during their formative years, it is very UNfortunate that God has been cast as a male — a father figure living in the clouds at the end of an infinitely tall ladder. This has set up certain expectations for us that are both positive and negative. We have set ourselves up for expectations of our Heavenly Parent similarly as our earthly father role model. That is an unfortunate parallel for many of us because it hampers and even inhibits a healthy, loving relationship with God. While the highest combined role of a human father and mother is far less than the wonderfully loving nature of our heavenly Parent, it does portray a fair approximation of God's nature: An unqualifiedly loving, benevolent, and just Father-Mother-Creator.
If we see God without form or substance, without gender or emotion, without race or creed, then we have come a long way toward seeing God as The Creator really is. But how can The First Great Source and Center of the universe be a God of love, and yet be without emotion? The answer lies in our interpretation of God's benevolence. We interpret God's unconditional giving, sharing, watch-care, and universal benevolence as love.
Try looking at it through this example: Suppose you had a neighbor you never met and didn't ever see, but whose presence was very evident in many intriguing ways. Suppose she quietly planted flower bulbs and seeds in the fall, which in the spring surprised you with blooming flowers. Suppose she quietly arranged it so that you got the right job that helped you fulfill your family's needs. Suppose she was able to put you into situations where you had to grow and though the times were rough you were glad you had gone through them because you had grown. And suppose she was able to mysteriously answer your sincere requests that were in keeping with your highest good. If you had a neighbor like that, you would interpret his or her actions as "loving." Think of God as a neighbor who is eternally, universally, unconditionally, and unlimitingly generous and “good." We interpret God's unlimited and unconditional benevolent behavior toward us as "loving".