What’s Underneath?
We recently got a new fridge. It was very exciting as we have had an old second hand fridge for a long time. I can’t even remember who we got it from but it had seen better days!
To make way for the new fridge we clearly had to move the old one out. As soon as it was moved from its position in the kitchen I looked down at the floor. What would we find underneath?
A magnet that had been pulled off the front of the fridge by our toddler, a few blueberries from when I had dropped a whole punnet a couple of weeks ago, a 1st birthday invitation for a friend’s child who is now at school and a very thick layer of dust. It could have been worse! But it wasn’t great. I had to change the water in my cleaning bucket a number of times to get the job done.
While I am constantly wiping down benches and table tops, it’s amazing what gathers up underneath when it is unseen.
As humans we are very good at being aware of what is on the surface. We make sure we look acceptable, present smartly and keep our emotions in check.
But that doesn’t stop things from gathering underneath the surface. Our feelings bubble away, our guilt builds up, our hurt expands but we keep pushing it down. At some stage we need to deal with what’s underneath. It’s hard to move onto something new without clearing out the old.
Most feelings and guilt and hurt will build again. This type of clean is not a one off. It’s healthy to constantly be aware of what is happening beneath the surface for yourself.
This also helps you to be more compassionate of what is happening underneath the surface for others as well. It’s often when you are struggling with issues that you realise other people struggle too. God asks us to treat others as we would like others to treat us. This compassion and empathy can go a long way.
We never really know what someone else is holding underneath the surface.
Lord, open our eyes to compassion and love. May we never assume others are feeling the same as we are. May we go out of our way to share Your empathy with all we meet. Amen.
What is something underneath that you need to deal with?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.