Here is a list of “shallow” but profound statements:
- “Only the shallow know themselves.” – Oscar Wilde
- “Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time.” – Thomas Carlyle
- “Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.” – Christopher Reeve
- “Deep breaths are very helpful at shallow parties.” – Barbara Walters
- “Our culture is all about shallow relationships. But that doesn’t mean we should stop looking each other in the eye having deep conversations.” – Francis Chan
We live in a cosmetic world. Fast cards, fast people, quick glory, instant wealth and whatever you view through your social media begs to glorify the cosmetic exterior, of anything, without giving much thought to what is inside. Every morning I have the habit of scanning the overnight news and try to catch up on local and world events. Perhaps, not surprisingly, no matter where I go there will always be a variety of articles trying to draw my attention to an A-list movie star, new car, socialites divorce or cosmetic surgery just right for me. Truthfully we live and are surrounded by a shallow world. But, not everything that is of a shallow concern, in life, is unbeneficial; in fact I might even argue God uses the shallow just as much as He uses the profound.
In a teaching I shared with our community I addressed how we all live in a secular / spiritual paradox. On the one hand we are people who desire to express great devotion to God, through common grace works, sacrificial living and spiritual disciplines (like prayer, fasting and meditating on God’s Word). While on the other hand that very same person can be consumed wishing to impress other people with their “blessings” and the fact they are not shallow. As Shakespeare wrote, “The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.” (HAMLET) This is the paradox we all struggle with and I would suggest if we approached life with a Hebraic / Biblical holism we may find ourselves less tempted by the secular or spiritual trap.
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To be shallow is not a sign of being bad, evil or deceitful; nor is shallowness a sign that there are no depths within the person…after all even the ocean has a shore. Consider this…there are many shallow amenities of life, that are not terribly deep, such as eating, drinking, walking and talking (they are all ordained by God). But when we are not living in alignment, with Jesus, then the paradox kicks in and our eating becomes gluttonous and our drinking slides towards drunkenness. Even something as simple as walking, without Jesus, can lead down paths sown with the seeds of destruction and our beautiful language can be turned profane if we do not let Him mature us. However when we are living fully alive, in Him, the Holy Spirit safeguards our shallowness from being trapped by the paradox; and the secular / spiritual is replaced by a new creed: “To live is to worship and to worship is to live.”
I once picked up a good bit of advice I would like to pass along. In the shallow matters of life use your God-given commonsense in commonsense ways. There will be plenty of days ahead when deeper things will come; and I have learned God is the one who draws you deeper by opening the unseen and unknown. So, while you mature “in the shallow end of the pool” keep your entire life closely aligned with the Father (God), live in the Son (Jesus) and be led by the Spirit (the Holy Spirit). The time will come, for those who patiently wait on the Lord, and seek Him above all, when He will bring us deep diving. Until then determine to resist the secular / spiritual paradox, live and experience life in a true, open and trusting Biblical community and most of all be willing to have the deep the conversations that press us toward maturity in Jesus!
“Determinedly take no one seriously but God, and the first person you find you have to leave severely alone as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.” (Chambers)
Grace and Peace
JOSHUA