Aristotle wrote, “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others, and it is also a sign of genius since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar.” An online dictionary defines a metaphor as “a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.” To give context, here are some childlike metaphors: The classroom is a zoo. Life is a rollercoaster. America is a melting pot. And so on.

The Scriptures are filled with metaphors, and they resonate with us because there is some truth to the comparisons. Consider the metaphor in Psalm 19:10: [The precepts of the LORD] “are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” If honey from the honeycomb were bitter, then, David’s metaphor would be erroneous and misleading. But, honey is sweet. And, so is the Word of God. This observation is no small thing, my friends. The eternal Word is alive, sweet, and good! So let’s live like it!

Christ our Creator made an amazing world filled with sweet things on earth that we are to enjoy with robust gladness! Too often, some Christians just focus on the fact that we are heaven-bound, and they actually (unbiblically) neglect the true, good, and beautiful that is in the world. Therefore, my challenge is for you to model living a life with Christ that looks amazing, adventuresome, and lively! If you want to warm a child’s heart to worship Christ, then teach the child about heavenly salvation, earthly living, and God’s created order. Show a child that the Christ who saved him or her is also the Creator who created things like zebras, starfish, the golden ratio, foreign languages, mountains, sugar, and yes… even ice cream. Life is ice cream. Let’s live like that is true. According to Aristotle, I am now a genius.