The spiritual development journey is sprinkled with opportunities (and these opportunities may be painful to our pride) to recognize attachments. Today I write about attachments that are not life giving. Non-life-giving attachments come in a variety of forms. Jesus was extremely harsh on the Jewish religious leaders because they were overly attached to dictates of the Law. These dictates kept the poor from attending the temple services.
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7, Jesus invites us to be released from a rather wide variety of attachments. The invitation includes letting go of anxiety, releasing non-productive thinking. He says that we do not need to worry, be angry, and we ought not to be attached to virtue signaling or being overly concerned about how we look. He also bravely encourages us to move away from loving money, engaging in judgmental thinking, and even hoarding.
Freedom from these non-life-giving attachments seems to be one of several core values of God. Jesus names truth as the gateway through which we come to be free. So, let us consider what in your life is calling for honesty? Follow your pain, and you may find the bit that needs some fresh air.
What do you not dare name about yourself?
What fear, anxiety, smallness of mind or heart do you long to hide away from public view?
What do you not dare name about the God in whom you say you believe?
What paradox, mystery, or deep doubt can you not even bring to the Creator of all you see?
What attachment is causing you pain, separation, or difficulty?
And what are you willing to do to release yourself from the attachment?
What small step might you take on behalf of your great love for God? This is the deep work of God for which spiritual direction is gifted to listen to and encourage. Consider finding such a person who is trained to listen and walk with you in the transformational path of God.
Photo by Evan Johnson