According to Cooley, the way we think about ourselves is formed in large part by what we think the most important people in our lives think about us. In other words: “I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.”
Cooley’s theory may or may not be the most accurate, but it does give us a good way to look at our heavenly Father and the effect his love can have on our lives. And though we tend to focus on the baby Jesus at Christmas, this is also one of the best times for us to focus on the Father. After all, he is the one who sent his Son into the world on Christmas. And he is the one we will finally see when Jesus comes again and welcomes us into heaven. So let’s take a spiritual angle at Dr. Cooley’s theory: if we are what we think God thinks that we are, then it’s valuable to know what our heavenly Father really does think of us.