Thinking in Metaphors and Symbols

Thinking in Metaphors and Symbols

I know what you see. A beautiful red rose. But what do you see? What else could this picture say to you?

The power of God to make something from nothing? Or how about the fragility of flower petals or the way a rose opens gradually? That could speak of honoring process, not forcing things, and letting go of a “make-it-happen” approach.

Or perhaps it’s symbolic of earthly beauty that will pass away. Hmm. What do you see?

How about this?bed

In a dream or vision, a bed can symbolize sickness, intimacy, rest, or sorrow depending on what God is saying to you.  He can talk about many things, if you learn to see beyond a mere concrete image.

Airplanes can point to the prophetic, or seeing from 787 DreamlinerGod’s point of view—especially regarding earthly matters.

Is it a big plane, or a small one? Is it old-fashion or modern? Are you a passenger, the pilot, or just observing the plane from the ground? Details often matter.

For me, airplanes have to do with the launch of writing. I not only saw airplanes in dreams, I also recognized numbers such as 747 and 787 on clocks, receipts, phone numbers, and license plates.

God even spoke a first and last word over my writing life on page 747 of a dictionary. You can read the whole story if you click on the links.

Consider this peculiar statue in a small Alabama town called Enterprise. Is that a beautiful woman holding a boll weevil?boll weevil monument, Enterprise AlabamaContinue reading

Something Was Missing

Something Was Missing

“The world was my oyster, but where was the pearl?

Who’d dream I would find it in one little girl?”

These lyrics come from the song, “Something Was Missing,” in the Broadway musical, Annie, with lyrics by Martin Charnin.

The same words could effectively sum up the main point in Genesis 1:

God created the heavens—an endless expanse of color and light and glory…

Hubble Space

Then, He made the earth—land and sky and water…

earth land sky and water

And it teemed with life as plant and animal kingdoms multiplied in unimaginable splendor and detail…

Creation splendor

BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING:

The sound of laughter and running feet.

The wonder of a smile returned.

The beauty of a hot tear rolling down a flushed cheek.

Words spoken.

Shared meanings.

The heart beating for reasons other than circulation.

The soaring of spirit that comes with worship.

The joining of mind, spirit, body and soul.

Yes, something was missing in creation–mainly us. Continue reading

Being Cherished

Being Cherished

Many years ago, I was sitting in a counselor’s office completely brokenhearted over my marriage. The counselor was a nice person, but she had no real guidance to offer. Her therapeutic approach involved hours of long-faced listening. After that, her advice was simple: “The answers are within you.”

Right. I wouldn’t have been there if that were so.

When you are broken, you stumble around looking for some kind of solace. I was vulnerable, and unfortunately, I received a lot of bad advice in those days.

But God is a God who sees. Hagar knew that. (Gen. 16:13)

On my last appointment with that particular counselor, something took me by surprise. She had me lean back on her couch and asked me to close my eyes. What now, I thought. She said, “I want you to think about your Higher Power, whatever that is for you.” I argued inside. Why was I paying good money for this?

But as she left me alone, I entered into a vision.Continue reading