The Tip of the Iceberg

Colossians 3:1–4

Phrases that spoke to me today:
• Seek what is above.
• Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
• For you have died.
• Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Applying the Word to My Life:
We have a natural tendency to try to reach security in life by reaching for the things of this world—money, power, possessions, and more. Yesterday, we learned that part of us is supposed to die in the water. That is hard enough. But once I stop clinging to the old life, another question shows up pretty fast: what am I supposed to hold onto now?

At first, the advice today does not seem all that helpful: our new life is “hidden with Christ in God.” How are we supposed to live a life that is hidden? Where is Paul taking us?

Paul is trying to help me answer the question that comes after letting go. He tells me where to put my heart. If I have been raised with Christ, then my life is not finally anchored in the things I can see and manage anymore. It is hidden with Christ in God, which means the truest thing about me is not going to be the most visible thing about me.

That is hard, because most of us are used to reaching for whatever is right in front of us. We grab onto what feels solid. Plans. Control. Reputation. Comfort. Productivity. The version of life that makes sense to us because we can see it and measure it. And when life starts feeling uncertain, we do not usually loosen our grip on those things. We squeeze harder.

But Paul is saying that if I really belong to Christ now, then I have something better to cling to than all of that. My life is hidden with Him. Not hidden because it is vague or unreal. Hidden because this world is not deep enough to explain it. Hidden because what Christ has done in me is more lasting than what is happening around me. Hidden because the life that matters most is not the one this world knows how to count.

We are dead to our old way of life, but we are not dead to the world. It just means it stops being the place where I look for my deepest security. My job matters. My family matters. My work matters. My responsibilities matter. But none of those things can carry the weight of being my life. Paul is telling me that my life is somewhere deeper now. Safer now. More permanent now. And if that is true, then maybe I can stop living like everything depends on what I can keep in my hands.

That doesn’t mean there is nothing to see here. When Christ is at the center, everything we do is changed. In some ways, we are more alive in this world than ever. Instead of walking past someone, we stop and help. Instead of saying hello and moving on, we take time to really know the person in front of us. Instead of only writing a check for a cause, sometimes we step in and give our own time and effort too. But what people see is still only the tip of the iceberg. That sliver points to something much larger than ourselves.

I think that is what this reading is really asking of me. Not just to admire heaven. Not just to think spiritual thoughts. But to actually let Christ become the place where my heart settles. To let what is above start shaping the way I live down here. To stop gripping what is fading like it is the only thing keeping me alive.

Because once I stop clinging to what is dead, I have to learn how to cling to Christ.

My Response for Today:
Today, I will let go of one anxious grip and ask Christ to be my security there.