The Swamp

I have been re-reading George Thompson's 'ALLIGATORS IN THE SWAMP' and it is more interesting the third time around. You would think by now that I understood it all, but alas, not so. As he says, a swamp is made up of layers. The stuff up on the shore that is there for all to see and understand. He says alligators survive because they know that what happens on the shore is only part of the swamp.
The next layer is swimming in the water. This is where we explain what is on the shore. This makes sense of our shore stuff.
But we finally come to the mud. It suports our swamp and is hidden well below our view. But it holds the key to our character, the beliefs that are deeply held and not always spoken about. We are defined by our mud.
This is true of ourselves, our churches and our culture. I am not sure what the implications are for me, but I know the alligators who swim in my swamp must know the mud pretty well.
Shalom