Change is constant. But it becomes chaotic when we’re not grounded in a deeper essence. We must learn to flow with the different expressions of life while also anchoring ourselves in a deeper reality.
For example, a river is constantly changing its surface expression, while its banks provide a stable and enduring essence all the same. Without the banks, the water would flood everywhere, but without the water, the banks are dry and lifeless. There’s a necessary interplay between the two for the fullness of life. And the same is true throughout our life and relationships as well.
For instance, while it’s tempting to attach ourselves to a particular career or industry, it’s best to see this as simply one expression of a deeper pattern. A Teacher might teach in a traditional classroom, but he’s not limited to working at a school. A true Teacher teaches whether he’s the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker. And this also holds for Education itself. While the mode and expression of school might change from one generation to the next, the core pattern of educating and guiding the next generation remains.
Whatever it looks like, it’s helpful to make this distinction between expression and essence. Essence is the core form or deep reality – the thing that remains true regardless of changing circumstances. Expression is the various ways this essence is embodied, but is free to change and flow like the water in a river.
We get stuck when we get too attached to a particular expression. But there’s great freedom as we discover and learn to rest in the deeper truths of God’s reality.
In the end, essence is your unchanging core. And true freedom comes when you know your essence and can allow many different expressions to flow from it.
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