Detachment 1
Wrestling with some difficult issues recently, I have been significantly helped by what old Christian writers called “detachment”: De-taching from some thing, perhaps good in itself, to help reach a more important goal.
As I pondered how to best explain this ancient and freeing principle to modern readers, I remembered when my friend Cal described walking with his son 500 miles across northern Spain on the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
They carried everything in backpacks, and one day Cal wondered what he could jettison to lighten his load. He looked at his little travel pillow. It weighed only a few ounces. But with hundreds of miles to go, Cal decided he could let it go if that would help reach the sought-after goal of walking the full 500 miles. Out went the pillow!
With recurring, deeper issues such as fighting addiction, wanting my own way, trying to control relationships, pride, fears, etc. detachment can become more difficult. But the principle still holds: Without detachment, growth in my relationship with God will be stunted.
Coffee/tea thought: Do I have the goal of intimate relationship with God? What is retarding my progress?
John
Chinese Version: Detachment 1
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