Icebergs and You

Who knows the “real you”?

Consider the image of the iceberg.  Cold.  Tough.  It’s the way a lot of men like pretending to be. 

When ships see an iceberg they have to steer clear of it.  Icebergs sink ships.

But it is not the part of the iceberg above the water that sinks the ship.  It is the part of the iceberg beneath the water, the part you can’t see, that sinks the ship.

Often what you see floating in the water is only 10% of the iceberg.  It is only the tip!   In reality 90% of the iceberg is beneath the water.

The iceberg is an image of our life.  Who people first meet is our personality.  But our character is who we are when no one is looking.  It is what you don’t see that sinks the ship.

The 10% of the iceberg that we let people see is our personality.  This is the level of cliché talk.  This is where we meet each other, joke around, talk about sports, politics and the weather.

But the 90% that no one sees is the real us.  This is the invisible side that we even try to hide from God and others.  Here is where our dreams, hopes, hang-ups, addictions, secret thoughts and pains all live.

It is the 90% that sinks our ships.  The scary part is that our gifts, abilities and personality can take us somewhere our character can’t sustain us.  We sink the ship of our careers, marriages and our children by not submitting the secret life to the living water found in Christ Jesus. 

The 90% is the part of our lives that need accountability.  This is where we need men who will be our mentors and men who will be genuine brothers.  The 90% often needs to submit to a humbling process in order to really be free.

But do you want to walk in truth?  Do you value your integrity, reputation and legacy more than your image?

God didn’t design you to do it alone. 

Who know the real you?

Who should you trust?  Who should you turn to?

First turn to God.  And then pray for a mentor and for brothers.

Maybe it is time to take a faith-risk and share with your mentor?

Or maybe it is time for you to lay aside the masks and be real with your brothers?

Please post your thoughts and questions below.

Your brother,

Minister Onorio