Question: What is a metaphor?
Answer: A place where cows graze.
That is the only thing I remember from my Sophomore English class. Well, not the only thing, but it was a favorite saying of my professor.
Yes, our words define us and shape us. Metaphors are no different.
In my never ending 'struggle' with modern church thinkers, I've come to realize one difference (and there are many) is in our metaphors.
(Written call waiting: I'm a mix of modern and postmodern thought, leaning a bit more postmodern. Resume.)
Modern religious folks acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior begins with the Bible and what it says to do. The Bible is accepted as the word of God and the key as to what to do to believe and be 'faithful'.
Postmodern folks (not always) aren't as quick to swallow the Bible whole. They don't believe simply because the Bible says so, there are other factors.
Moderns argue, how can you know about God and what to do if you don't have the Bible. You need some type of absolute.
A modern metaphor for this is a foundation. There are several scriptures that relate to having Jesus as the foundation, or having a firm foundation. We all know what happened to the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. (He had it coming, didn't he?! Splat!)
I like the foundation metaphor. I understand it. My house is built on one. I know living here in Houston my foundation will probably crack at some point in the future and I don't want that. I see the value in a strong foundation, so I get the whole Jesus is our rock, our foundation.
This metaphor, obvious in scripture, is linear and holds to the idea that you must start with an absolute to build upon. That's fine.
But, I'm also well served by God/Jesus as being what I call the 'gravity' metaphor.
The gravity metaphor is pretty much as it sounds.
Take the sun. The earth orbits around it. The earth doesn't rest upon the sun. It is balancing in an orbit around the sun. Gravity is acting upon the earth and holding it in place. There are planets closer, Mercury and Venus, and those much further away. Even Pluto, out there on the edge, is still affected by the sun and journeys around it.
I believe God is the same. His pull is strong, but it doesn't reach some like it does others. (This may sound like God doesn't have ultimate power, but in a way he doesn't. He doesn't because he gave it up when he gave us free will.)
We have all felt a pulling, or tug, upon our hearts, whether it is a from a brokenness or simply longing for something. We may have felt drawn to something greater. If you haven't yet, don't worry, you will.
In both cases God is the absolute, the foundation, but how we proceed from there seems to differ. The gravity metaphor places God at the 'center' but allows for others to be affected differently by it. The earth does not look down upon Uranus for 'following' the sun in a different way, on its side. They are on different paths. Mercury can't go the way of Mars. Pluto's orbit is a bit eccentric as well.
How do you approach/view others faith journey? Do you try to set them up with a foundation just like yours? Is your encouragement to establish God's word as the building block and everything falls else falls into place?
Or, do you observe someone's path and let them know what they feel tugging at them, what they are longing for, what they are trying to fill up with stuff, is just God tugging on the heart?
Tell them about God's gravity.
Remember, this is simply a metaphor and like all metaphors, they break down at some point. They are not perfect representations, but for a postmodern, that's okay. They don't need to be.
