MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY
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Metaphor:
- An expression in which the person, action or thing referred to is described as if it really were what it merely resembles (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
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In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren states that the way we see our lives will shape our lives. He says, whether consciously or unconsciously, our life-metaphor (the internal image we have of life) will influence how we conduct our lives. For example, if you see your life as a showcase, this will probably influence the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the house you live in and the people you associate with.
With regard to the image we have of our lives, Warren says:
Your unspoken life metaphor influences your life more than you realize. It determines your expectations, your values, your relationships, your goals, and your priorities.
Warren also suggests that we might be conducting our lives on the basis of a flawed life-metaphor. He then challenges us to see our lives from God’s point of view and highlights three life-metaphors revealed in the Bible. They are:
Life is a:
- TEST – Consider Abraham and Joseph (who passed) Judas and Peter (who failed)*
- TRUST – Consider Adam & Eve (entrusted with the Garden of Eden and the earth), the servants in Christ’s Parable of the Talents (entrusted with their master’s resources)**
- TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT – Consider biblical terms, such as Christ’s ambassador, Steward, Pilgrim, which describe our earthly roles, or the mindset we should be adopting.***
*Genesis 22:10-18; Genesis 50:15-21; Luke 22:3-6; Luke 22:54-62
**Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:8, 15; Matthew 25:14-29
***2 Corinthians 5:20; Luke 12:42-44; 1 Peter 2:11
SELF SCRUTINY:
Purpose-driven believers and dream achievers, given the above, how does your current life-metaphor fit with God’s perspective? Have you been challenged to change your outlook, or have these 3 metaphors brought clarity regarding your life experiences of the past?
I’d love to hear from you. Please share your response in the comment box below.
NB: if you would like to explore Rick Warren’s views as revealed in his book The Purpose Driven Life, you may want to visit the following website. You can also purchase this book from Amazon.
A Purpose-driven achiever 
We should do a self evaluation as often as possible.
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So very true Jacqueline. We should assess ourselves regularly against God’s Word and against our dreams and plans. Thank you for reading and contributing to this discussion.
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It’s a pleasure.
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I absolutely love the Purose Driven Life and have not read it in years. Recently I have had to do a self examination on my very self-driven persona and aspirations. I have not been aligning my steps up with the will of God and have fallen completely flat on m face! A hard lesson to learn but a necessary one. I am still driven, focused and goal oriented but my next move will have to be God’s an not my own. I am currently listening for his direction and constantly praying to not open any doors that I am not suppose to walk into. I have given God full control and that is the way it should have always been. I just had to learn my lesson. GOT IT NOW! LOL! Great post:-)
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Hello Chanel – thank you so much for sharing and contributing to this discussion. Sorry to hear you’ve been the pupil of the school of hard lessons but hey – haven’t we all at some time or another in our lives? I know I have!
Glad you enjoyed the post. May God use your drive, focus and goal-oriented persona for his utmost glory.
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