There’s this great Friends episode where Phoebe is angry with Ross, but she can’t remember why. To figure it out, the friends engage in a game where they rapid-fire questions and the answers are to come just as quickly, without thinking:
Ross: What do you like better flora or fauna?
Phoebe: Fauna
Ross: Who would you rather be Simon or Garfunkle?
Phoebe: GarfunkleRoss: Why are you mad at me?
Phoebe: You said I was boring. Oh!Ross: When did I say you were boring?
Phoebe: …I remember now! We were playing chess!
Ross: Phoebe! You and I have never played chess!
Phoebe: Oh, come on! Yes, remember that time on the frozen lake? We were playing chess, you said I was boring, and then you took off your energy mask and you were Cameron Diaz. OK, there's a chance this may have been a dream.
Believe it or not, this type of memory trigger is a form of psychology, and it’s used to help people not only remember things, but learn about themselves.
Whether it’s to find out what you’re looking for, testing your motives for posting a comment online, or determining what you really want, there are always benefits to self-analysis. It’s just accessing these internal motivations that’s sometimes difficult.
Over and over again in Scripture we are told God tests our hearts and knows our inmost thoughts. He knows the true motivations behind our thoughts, words, and deeds. But how can we know our true motives for anything? And, if we want to live right, shouldn’t our motives be to bring glory to God? How can we know for sure that this is what drives us?
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around-life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to our culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2 MSG)
Committing our hearts to God and determining to live right are the first steps towards knowing ourselves. God’s presence in our lives will change us from the inside out, bringing glory to Him. As He purifies our sinful hearts, we are confronted with the parts of our lives and selves, which are not honouring Him. We know our hearts better the more we know God.
However, there will still be times you question your motives and want a more literal way of testing them. There are lots of different ways to discover your deep-down motivations. One way is the Picture Story Exercise. It’s simple and easy, and I encourage you to try it right now. What have you got to lose? It’s a lot of fun and you may just learn something about yourself.
The rules:
- Look at the above image for a few seconds—long enough to get an impression, but not so long as to deeply consider it
- Spend no more than five minutes writing a story about the image. Ensure there is a beginning, middle, and end
That’s it!
After you’ve written your story, you have a self-analytical opportunity. Make sure to ask yourself the 5Ws and see if there are any surprises. The more you do this exercise, the more you’ll learn.
Feel up to the challenge? Why not share your story in the comment section below? I’ll start.
By Robyn Roste
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