I hold several images in my mind that I use to motivate and guide me every day. My favorite for the moment is Jesus walking on the water, which I will explain momentarily. First let’s talk briefly about images. All of us make and hold images in our minds that we use to evaluate and guide us in the different aspects of our lives. A few examples will help clarify what we mean here.
Relationship Images
All of us have an image of what/how our relationships should work. We have an image of how to treat our friends and how they should treat us. We hold an image of how our marriage should work and how our partner should treat us. We hold an image of how children should act both in public and in private. All of us have endured someone’s over indulged, under disciplined children that violated our image of how children should behave. Our minds form and store images that correspond to ideas we have learned.
Origin of Images
We formed most of our images from our own experiences. Most of our images came from the way our families operated. As we grew up, we observed how our parents related to one another, how they trained their children, how they prioritized their time/money and we stored images of the way these relationships were structured. These images form our beliefs about how relationships and priorities are supposed to work. We use these images to evaluate the success or failure of our relationships.
Guided by Images
In fact,we are all compelled to recreate these images in our adult life. We are compelled to relate in our marriage the way our parents related. We raise our children the way we were raised, even using the same phrases our parents used. We find ourselves choosing similar priorities as our parents did. The images we hold determine our expectations and guide our actions. Our images are the expression of our belief system and are the guiding factor in all of our behaviors. We live by our stored images
False Images
Some of our images are totally false while others are skewed versions of the truth. Most of us formed our images (ideas/beliefs) by observing people who were dominated by false beliefs and living under the dominance of their flesh. I had loving parents but their knowledge of the truth was very limited and their relationships were only moderately healthy. What they modeled became what I programmed and stored as my image of how relationships are supposed to work. As I entered into adult relationships, it became obvious that I was relating with unhealthy expectations. My relationships revealed that the images I was using to guide my behavior were unhealthy.
Exchanging Images
It was then that I realized the need to exchange my old ideas for biblical ideas. I began to better understand what spiritual growth was intended to accomplish. God intends that we surrender our old images for images based on biblical principles. As you consider this, remember how things worked in your family and look within at your images of how life is supposed to work. Look especially at how your relationships are working out. You are conducting them according to the images you are holding in your heart.
Now, back to the image of Jesus walking on the water. This image has special meaning to me in my relationship with God and with the difficulties of life in the devil’s world. I use it to keep myself moving ahead when circumstances appear to have me blocked. I use it to help me keep a divine perspective about what looks like a problem I cannot overcome. Let me set the scene as taught in Mark 6:45-51.
Feeding the 5,000
Jesus and the disciples had traveled across the sea of Galilee to find some solitude away from the masses. The crossed the water and went up into the hill country so that He could pray and rest. As He was looking out from the mountain, He saw a great crowd that had followed them. This crowd had come without food to find Him, looking for the miracles For which He was famous. He used the occasion to test His disciples and then He fed 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. When He had dismissed the crowd, He sent the disciples back across in the boat while He retired up into the mountain to be alone with His Father. Mark tells us that He could see them out on the water from His position on land and went out to help them. This is where the story gets very interesting for me.
Jesus’ Faith
Imagine Jesus coming down from the mountain, heading for the water. He descends into the hilly area and finally to the beach area. Ahead is the water between Him and the disciples in the boat. Now think for a minute. Most of us, if not all of us would consider the water to be a problem, an obstacle standing in our way of doing God’s will. We would hesitate, look for a boat and consider it impossible to reach the disciples. He didn’t see it that way. Jesus approached the water and just kept going. I wonder, as He approached the water, if He even slowed down. I doubt if He did. He knew that His place was with the disciples, this was His Father’s will and He just kept going, knowing that His Father would make the water hold Him up. Now that is faith! Notice in the scripture that His faith inspired Peter to believe that he could walk on water as well.
Keep Moving
When I am faced with difficulties and it seems that there is no way to keep moving, doing what God has left me to do, I bring this image to mind. It helps me to remember that human logic is not the way to discern God’s will. He will make the air hold me up if need be, for me to accomplish His will. I just keep moving ahead into God’s will and God’s plan for my life. No money? No problem, just keep moving. No way? Yes way, just keep moving. The image of Jesus not even breaking stride as He approached what appeared to be a serious obstacle, motivates and guides me to do the same with the obstacles in my life.
Build your Own
Use the bible to build your own images that help you in the spiritual life. I love the image of Joseph as a slave in Egypt. He was the best slave anybody ever saw. He was faithful to the Lord and God was with Him in such a visible way that everyone could see that God was with Him. His life is a great image when life feels unfair. Jesus knew the importance of imagery and taught in parable and stories. Paul used many different images to communicate the message of the New Testament. He used the image of the Roman soldier, the athletic games, the human body and many others. These images give us a way to visualize the concepts of the scripture so that we can apply them to life. Build your own images out of the scripture and use them to keep moving toward God.
