The Hidden world of an Iceberg

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.  Proverbs 20:5

Perhaps the iceberg that fatally wounded the Titanic in the Spring of 1912 looked much like this one. By the time Murdoch spotted it, there wasn’t enough time to turn sharply enough to avoid it. When they hit, a jagged piece of iceberg, under the water, ripped part of the hull.

The part of any iceberg that’s shows above the waterline is not what’s most dangerous. It’s what lies beneath surface. The part visible to sea captains is usually minuscule in comparison to what is hidden below.  The size of what they can see is far less threatening than the massive piece of ice not visible.  Many have been fooled to their peril.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this picture.  Really, the part above the waterline has no freedom to do its own thing. It’s connected to what’s underneath, the part that catches the currents of the sea and takes the whole thing along for the ride.   Is this not a metaphor for our inner life? Beneath the surface of our exterior lies a massive underworld of beliefs, lies, disappointments, joys ~ which are embedded in our life’s story. These create a personal mindset that serves as the current that takes us on the ride of our lives.  What others see and experience on the outside (above the waterline) is a shallow, and often fake, representation of what is going on inside.

It is this extensive underworld that God wants to us to continually examine in the mirror of the Word.   Many who sit under Christian teaching are told that what is in their past is irrelevant.  They are new creatures in Christ.  While we are new creations, the flesh still plagues us.  Memories haunt.  Childhood labels direct our steps.  It is our past that defines us and it is the process of sanctification that requires we take each part captive, examine it, and deal with it under the direction of our wonderful Counselor.

Jesus, You are not surprised by anything I’ve pushed into the deep.  You are Lord over all of it and more powerful than any of it.  I want a beautiful next-chapter.  Amen