Cracked-Open-©-2021-David-Tillman-all-rights-reserved-www.lifesjourney.us_
Cracked Open
by David Tillman – December 2021
There is a sunrise experience when life cracks us open. Once cracked open, we often feel pain, isolation, anger, mystery, sadness, fear, confusion, and so much more. The new day’s sunlight shows us more clearly our imperfections and vulnerabilities. Our unique and individual self is “cracked open” to show us more of ourselves. That our essence, our soul, or our spirit, whatever we call it, is more similar to others than different. Under the solid ice of the lake is ever-flowing water. A crack in the ice opens the water underneath to flow in new directions.
An uncracked egg, cared for by the mother hen or surrogate mother, can develop into a chicken embryo which will grow into a living chick. “The yolk is the source of food for the embryo and contains all the fat in the egg. The small white spot on the yolk is called the germinal disc…where the female’s genetic material is found.” [1] Space, time, DNA, mystery, and community define the unborn egg. The chick cracks open the eggshell to be part of the living and everchanging world.
When the egg yolks and whites are mixed, all the uniquely formed egg yolks break up to create a community of intermixed eggs. When the egg mixture is cooked an egg dish is created to provide food and nourishment. The Oneness of the cooked eggs is comprised of the unique, individual egg yolks and whites coming together to form something which is greater than each individual egg. When life cracks us open, we often are drawn to people who welcome us into a community based on love, trust, compassion, care, equality, and support. As this community journeys with us as we heal, we start to see that we are more alike with others than different.
From those experiences, we begin to love ourselves more fully. Our increasing self-love naturally moves us to love God, others, and all of creation with thoughts and actions of greater love, acceptance, kindness, equality, compassion, grace, and joy. It often takes a crack in our human shell or self-ego, to begin to realize we are more the same than different. This “Cracking Open” gift from God and creation leads us to others who love us for being just who we are. They teach us to do likewise to others. An awareness grows that we are loved, have always been loved, and will always be loved by God.
[1] 4H Virtual Farm: The Parts of an Egg, https://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/virtualfarm/poultry/poultry_eggparts.html, (accessed December 5, 2021).
© 2021 – David Tillman – all rights reserved – www.lifesjourney.us
