How Word Pictures Can Shift Worldviews
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is really true, maybe even more so for word pictures!
God used word pictures throughout the Bible. He compares His care to being a shepherd, His strength to being a strong tower, and His forgiveness to making us whiter than snow - to name a few. Jesus was a big fan of word pictures as well. In fact, it seems He used what was around Him to share kingdom principles more often than direct teaching. Maybe because word pictures stick in our minds? They are easy to recall and often add depth to a concept's meaning. Think about the yeast in the dough, the vine and the branches, the seed sown in different kinds of soil, - we could go on and on.
It should come as no surprise, then, that God still wants to reveal truth to us through word pictures.
In my own life, I can recall many times when a word picture has helped me anchor my soul in a time of need. I remember one time when I was particularly overwhelmed. I was writing curriculum and recording lessons for Bridges Coaching's first course, which also required me to jump through all the hoops of launching a business and learning to market it, when I felt a tug on my heart to volunteer for my alma mater in the Dean's Department. What a season of faith - both financially and in time management. Or maybe sanity management! In the midst of that season, God gave me the word picture of water skiing. Left to myself, I may have drowned in that season, but God threw me a rope and towed me on top of the water so I didn't sink! (Shout out to God, and Elizabeth and Dawn, who both reached out and offered to help out of the blue after God prompted them! I don't think I would have made it without them!)
Later that month, as things were sorted and the business and school year launched, I felt God push the word picture out a little more, showing me a parasail that lifted me completely out of the water. The Holy Spirit was the rope that attached me to the boat, but lifted me up!
Another time, I was at a workshop that Tony Stolzfus was leading, and he asked each of us to ask God for a word picture as we started the class. I wasn't sure I could just ask and immediately receive, but God showed me a person striving to swim across a river, and I felt He asked me whether floating would be a better way to move. I've always been a person who worked hard, but He was offering me movement by relaxing and trusting, rather than striving. The next day, Tony asked us to ask God for more revelation on the word picture. Again, I doubted, but asked. I felt God wanted to offer me an inner tube so floating would be easier! How cool is that!?
Psalm 78:2 says, "I will speak using stories: I will tell secret things from long ago."
Matthew 13:3a says, "Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things."
When God gives a word picture, it is because He has more to share. There is nuance and ripple effects from every picture. Whether you are coaching someone or being coached yourself, asking for a word picture can clarify a concept, show God's presence in a new way, and/or bring clarity to a season or situation.
Here are some challenges for you.
- One, look for word pictures as you read the Bible - there are so many there, and their meaning helps us see God better.
- Two, go ahead and ask God for a word picture for yourself in the season you are in.
- And finally, ask someone you are coaching to do the same.
God is waiting to reveal Himself right where we need Him.
Share your word pictures with me? I'd love to hear!
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