METAPHORS FOR LIFE are incredibly influential—at the personal level. They steer the deployment of our values and belief systems. Many metaphors will derail our lives; the image of a river, however, will provide a good path to a wise life.
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Life is a river,
Surprisingly deep and wide,
And only with God,
Can we negotiate the tide.
Life is a river,
Flowing with force,
And we are the boats,
Negotiating the course.
Life is a river,
Of varying levels,
Both and between,
It fascinates and dishevels.
Life is a river,
Dense with abundant matter,
Enshrouded as a mystery,
Thoughts of ours to scatter.
Life is a river,
Which sometimes runs dry,
Parched is the spirit,
When all of life is awry.
Life is a river,
That occasionally freezes over,
Infinite periods of stillness,
Until a soul-owned supernova.
Life is a river,
From time to time flooded,
Space and time aquiver,
Until all its creeks are blooded.
Life is a river,
It shallows and slows with age,
Maturing with wisdom,
Growing at every stage.
Life is a river,
Sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth,
When we take it patiently,
The problems we defuse.
Life is a river,
About which we can enjoy and reflect,
Standing such is peace,
Anxiousness we deflect.
Life is a river,
It ranges from land to sea,
Float upon it like a journey,
Hopefully we can agree.
Life is a river,
Fashioned in the earth,
Eternal life is ours,
Only by Divine rebirth.
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Myriad Images of the River Metaphor
There are limitless positive images surrounding the river metaphor to assist us functioning as wise human beings. The twelve above merely hone in on the fact that rivers reflect the natural majesty of the Lord in the embodiment of creation.
Each of these images have described a feature of rivers that is infinite in itself—and that is life; a thoroughly superabundant concept. From the finite beauty of atoms and molecules, to the exquisite machinery of the humble cell, to the relative infinity of galaxies and the cosmos—rivers encapsulate the fullness of broader creation.
Whether our lives are, of a sense, calm or they reflect buoyancy or turbulence, there is little doubt that the metaphor of a river provides meaning that lasts.
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We may search all our lives for the right ideology to base our lives upon; many ideas filter through our hearts, and we test these with our minds, applying them to action. But, the river is a sounder premise. It’s as big as life and bigger than many insufficient metaphors.
Life is a river, deep and wide; something so captivating, it cannot be denied.
© 2011 S. J. Wickham.
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