During a recent visit to the Christian Medical college, Vellore, while on my morning walk, I noticed these two plants in the garden, partly visible and hidden. What was visible held my attention. I moved around the plants to get a glimpse of what was hidden. I could access only part of what was hidden. I continued my walk carrying this sight upon my heart.
The ‘tip of the iceberg’ is an oft quoted phrase which reveals this dual dimension of visibility and hiddenness.
What is visible about our lives is mostly what pertains to our job, where we live, how we relate, what we pursue as a vocation or hobby, what and how we communicate, etc. There is a lot we come to know about a person by being in touch with him or her. Yet a person is more than all of these. Most people whom we know intimately would surprise us again and again by revealing something more than what we already knew about that person. There is often a larger dimension of our life which remains unknown to others. What we know about a person is enough for us to relate and communicate.
How do we reconcile with what is not known or cannot be known about a person! In one sense, it is this dimension which makes each of us unique. Alan Jones in his book Journey into Christ suggested that we 'live with a double mystery- the mystery of ourselves and of God’. Even after making a in-depth journey into one’s inner world using tools of depth psychology, most psychotherapists consent that there would be still a larger dimension in our lives which would remain unknown to us. So life is a journey to know what can be known about ourselves and God.
This journey ought to meet and converge. It is only as much as we are revealed, we come to know about ourselves. This revealing process begins with intimacy with God. Cornelius and Peter (Acts.10) were in prayer, during which time they experienced a revelation about themselves and what they ought to do next.
What remains hidden about ourselves is a treasure. Our daily journey is also an inner journey towards this mystery of ourselves. Blessed are those, who seek God’s guidance for this risky but transforming voyage!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
The ‘tip of the iceberg’ is an oft quoted phrase which reveals this dual dimension of visibility and hiddenness.
What is visible about our lives is mostly what pertains to our job, where we live, how we relate, what we pursue as a vocation or hobby, what and how we communicate, etc. There is a lot we come to know about a person by being in touch with him or her. Yet a person is more than all of these. Most people whom we know intimately would surprise us again and again by revealing something more than what we already knew about that person. There is often a larger dimension of our life which remains unknown to others. What we know about a person is enough for us to relate and communicate.
How do we reconcile with what is not known or cannot be known about a person! In one sense, it is this dimension which makes each of us unique. Alan Jones in his book Journey into Christ suggested that we 'live with a double mystery- the mystery of ourselves and of God’. Even after making a in-depth journey into one’s inner world using tools of depth psychology, most psychotherapists consent that there would be still a larger dimension in our lives which would remain unknown to us. So life is a journey to know what can be known about ourselves and God.
This journey ought to meet and converge. It is only as much as we are revealed, we come to know about ourselves. This revealing process begins with intimacy with God. Cornelius and Peter (Acts.10) were in prayer, during which time they experienced a revelation about themselves and what they ought to do next.
What remains hidden about ourselves is a treasure. Our daily journey is also an inner journey towards this mystery of ourselves. Blessed are those, who seek God’s guidance for this risky but transforming voyage!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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