THE ESTRANGED ICEBERGS

 "By nature, we are alienated from God and His family, but we can be reconciled to Him through Christ." R. C. Sproul

Floating icebergs- that is what we all are. The visible human is all fancy and dapper externally, but hidden behind all kinds of makeup or branded attire is the real raw person inside- someone who might be shredded, stressed, or selfish. Psychology attributes the Iceberg behavior model to children, but I would say we have to be more careful around adults than kids, since we have much more to hide beneath the facade. Today's humans are the most complicated and hopeless our race has ever come to be- doing 'noble' things all in the name of equity and inclusivity- and yet ripping apart the very tapestry of our existence- even not sparing children from the wildness of our modern-day mankind, trying to introduce their syllabus into the school systems and even the media they watch. We think we are intelligent, unbeatable, and irresistible- yet even after decades and centuries, our little brains cannot solve the intricacies of conception or the cure for cancer, let alone the time of birth and death. Who are we to compete with the plans of the One who made it all? 

Our first father and mother, oh yes, I mean Adam and Eve (not Adam and Steve!), were told the original lie by the slimy slithering serpent who wanted a way to defeat the Creator, and therefore allowed SIN to enter our DNA- the natural alienation we have from God. Now that guy hasn't stopped lying. Time and time again, the devil has found ways to keep humans alienated- when we keep upgrading our facilities and assets, he keeps upgrading his tactics too. To think that even churches and church leaders are not spared is depressing. When we see hypocrisy, uncertainty, and unfairness all around us, it is natural to think about the 'Why' and 'How.' It is not easy to keep hoping, believing, and trusting when things fall apart around us, right? It is not easy to step forward into the unknown, relying on a higher power you have never seen either. But that is the beauty of Christian faith: to depend on the Great I Am, to believe without seeing; and that is exactly what today's people are missing out on. They think science has all the answers, without realizing science is just answering whatever God already solved for us. 

We see kids lost in the world of gaming and social media- who think that if they do not get the best iPhone or if their parents cut off their screen time, that is the end of the world. We see youths led into lives of immorality and addictions, giving priority to trivial things and losing out on getting closer to their Savior. We see youngsters who use money lavishly, whether it's salon nails and hairdo, the mall culture, or the daily Dunkin' and Starbucks. We also see adults who flee away from responsibility, adjustments, and compromise- whether it comes to their own children, siblings, spouses, fellow employees, bosses, or even parishioners. If this is what is happening now, how irresponsible and lost will the world be in fifty years? If this is the reality today, how long can our race keep going? With AI taking over major jobs, people will lose much more than opportunities and income. Don't all these point to how estranged we are from our Creator? 

An iceberg is formed when giant chunks of ice break off from glaciers or ice shelves from land masses and float into the ocean. They were never formed in the ocean and were part of the mainland once upon a time. Land is not usually dangerous, as ships can detect when they approach land. But disasters like the destruction of the world's famous ocean liner Titanic happened because of the unfathomable, concealed, and undetected iceberg. If the iceberg were still part of the land, the ship would have never sunk. If we humans, the created, stay close to our Creator and Rock, our lives would also be stable and firm. But no, we just have to have it our way and keep drifting across the Atlantic, away and away from the mainland. We think our ways are right, our decisions are ultimate, our needs are important, and our plans are better- and leave out the God-factor in our lives. The more individualistic we become, the more we drift away from Him, and the more dangerous our trajectory becomes. The world keeps stunning us with instances where we cannot fathom the reason why people murder their own parents, kids, or friends, why people leave their homes never to call or visit back again, or why people choose to stay disconnected from their family, school, or college mates and live in their own bubble- estranged from God, family, and loved ones who actually care - lone icebergs in the vast Pacific. 

Today, churches have become polished, just like the outside world- everything being scripted, performed, unaware of how we are deceiving our own hearts, faith, people, and God with our hypocrisy, wickedness, and unrighteousness. We give too much priority to doing things in a dignified way, forgetting that God was pleased with King David's 'undignified' dance before the Ark of the Covenant, and that the disciples of Christ sacrificed their lives in 'undignified' ways for this gospel to reach our homes. God's definition of dignity and perfect submission is not what the 21st-century world teaches us. We lack genuineness, warmth, and most importantly, the faith aspect in our weddings, baptisms, or even first communion services, which have become so full of trendy, filmy, and materialistic nothingness, mostly sidelining the whole point of what is happening in the first place. Our worship needs more authenticity, more repentant hearts that worship in one accord. Our families have to give in more rather than give up. All relationships could use some more respect and love, rather than keep assuming that you are only on the receiving end. The more sinless and selfless people live, the more happiness prevails. The more abidance of God's will, the more peace of mind. The more openness to the people around us, the more memories we create. 

This can never be achieved if we remain isolated from God and God's family. Thankfully, we are not actual icebergs, as God created us as the crown of creation. Icebergs can never rejoin land. Even if a drifting iceberg runs aground or crashes into a coastline or island, it is just a floating block hitting land. It can never fuse back onto land or the glacier it came from ever again. Hallelujah to the One who set us apart from all other creation and keeps giving us chances to rejoin and reunite with Him, as all God longs for is fellowship with His beloved people once again. Voices around us keep telling us that heaven is already on earth, luring us into their shiny, attractive abyss, making us lose out on the real heavenward journey, and estranging us more and more from the One who set us apart. The sins of this world are not seven anymore, and we are struggling to find more than seven virtues these days. Our souls are getting tainted more and more, daily, with each omission, each commission, neglect, and ignorance of what is to be done right in our lives and how we are supposed to live like and with our Savior. 

We have a Creator who can see it all- the ice on the top and beneath the ocean surface- but we have lost this God-consciousness and live as if NO ONE is watching. Living as if there is no tomorrow has made humans think there are no consequences, forgetting that there is a hell just like there is a heaven. We have lost our genuine relationships in life, as everything has become an instance to post on social media and please people who are just scrolling past our status and posts, maybe without even liking them. It is high time that we stay aloof from the ways of this wild world and let ourselves ride on God's coattails, admitting that He is in control of the millions of things we see and can never understand and maybe never will. This reconciliation can keep happening, with God, our family, and our friends- and can happen any day we are ready to turn back and join with the mainland. Our Father is waiting at the door to welcome us back home; and those who genuinely love us will be standing with open arms to hug us. 

Remya Rachel Thomas