When I speak to people about the motivation for change, I use the Iceberg Illustration as our foundation. If you know me at all, I love metaphors, almost as much as sarcasm. The more I think about the metaphor, the more I develop the concepts related to it.
Anyone who has heard this illustration has a good understanding of the basic principles involved. The iceberg has two parts; the section below the surface is large and filled with our core beliefs, attitudes, emotions, and thoughts. The section below the surface affects and produces what is above the surface, our actions, or behaviors.
The goal is to reduce or control the section below the surface in order to affect change above the surface. While I have talked about the effects of trauma on the iceberg, I really never made the connection work. After much contemplation, I added something new to the illustration: Water!
Like a fish who does not know it is in the water until it is not, I thought of the iceberg without including the environment in which it must rest. After all, an iceberg is not suspended in space. The very concept of a below or above assumes there is water, but what does that mean for our illustration?
We know that water has essentially two temperatures: Hot and Cold. Trauma works as freezing water, and has a direct negative effect on the iceberg, making it larger. However, hot water has the effect of warming icy water and reducing the iceberg's size.
In my illustration, the hot water is “Faith” because it stands alone as an element that can directly affect both trauma and the iceberg. Remember, our goal is to reduce or control the size of the iceberg in order to control our behavior. Today, contemplate the overall idea of the iceberg, and how it affects you.
In the next couple of blogs, I will explore with you the effects of water on the iceberg. And along the way interject another aspect to our illustration yet to be considered. I hope it will be a blessing.
TTFN
Pastor Charles
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