dailydatewithgod

Our minds are fascinated by symbols.  We are drawn to them, we dream in them, and our written language is built with them. Symbols represent everything from a word to a whole philosophy.  We make interpretations and create meaning from symbols. The richness of our symbols leaves legacies by telling the stories our lives long after we have gone and all that are left are our symbols.  It is hard to even fathom a life without symbols.  If everything we experienced was direct and straight forward life would lack a certain level of mystery and imagination.  Our symbols open our minds and hearts to seeing things from a different perspective.  Our mindset and purpose play a powerful role in the meaning we give to these representations.  The degree to which we let symbols speak for themselves can sometimes cause conflict.  Because they represent something else, the part of that something else we think we understand shapes the meaning of the symbol.  Both the confederate flag and the american flag have stars and stripes as their symbols, yet the placing of those symbols on the flags convey different meanings and identities.  We form an opinion of someone who is carrying one flag over the other.  The flags themselves become a symbol of ideas of government and philosophy.  We know when we wave the American flag in parades on the 4th of July it is a symbol of freedom and liberty because we have attached those meanings to the piece of cloth and series of images.  God invites us to look into what other kinds of symbols we have in our lives and the story they speak to others about us.  What kinds of symbols do we wear on our bodies, post on our Facebook pages, or stick on our cars?  What do the symbols hanging in our houses or written on our papers say to ourselves and the world about who we are and what we believe? Do we remember that symbols can only represent us they are not us? How often do we forget the role of symbols and misjudge others based on the ones we see on them and surrounding them?