18. I’ve come to realize that being transformed requires me to let go of many things I’ve become attached to.

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

What could you “let go of” (surrender) that would help your transformation?

Is there anything that makes it difficult for you to let this go? If so, what?

Why do you think we develop attachment to things? What do things do for us?

What is the difference between using, owning, or taking care something and worshiping it?

How does our attachment to things hurt us, keep us from experiencing abundance?

What are some things that Jesus might be inviting you to give up?

We’ve already explored some of the attitudes and activities we’ll need to embrace in our journey of transformation: taking up appropriate disciplines, embracing the uninvited events of life, ordering our thoughts and desires, and inviting Jesus to join and guide us on our journey, to name a few. One more that we need to add is giving up or letting go of certain things.

Our human tendency is to collect, gather, and become attached to many things on our journey. Our bodies may develop a craving for certain pleasures and comforts. Our minds become used to certain forms of entertainment, distractions, and imaginations. And our hearts can have unhealthy attachments to human approval, power, prestige, possessions and more.

This unhealthy attachment is what the Old Testament called “idolatry,” the worship of things material and human rather than God. These disordered desires will fail us in the end. God asks us to give up these destructive idols and worship Him alone. God is not an egotist; rather, God knows worshiping “false gods” will lead to our demise.

God desires what is best for us and invites us to worship only Him, not for His good but for ours. So, how do we learn to let go of unhealthy attractions? What follows are some simple suggestions, all of which should be guided by Jesus and the Spirit.

First, we can begin by asking the Spirit to show us places where we are too attached to something. We can notice any feelings of anxiety or uneasiness we experience when we don’t get what we want. It can be helpful to notice both the object that attracts us and our feelings about the object. Sometimes the objects themselves are good, but we place much dependency on them.

Second, we can invite the Spirit to show us how this attraction, either the object or the feeling, is unhealthy for us. It can be helpful to let the Spirit give us a picture of how continuing to pursue this attraction could end up hurting us.

Third, we can ask God to show us what our deeper desire is--what the object or the feeling for the object tells us that we are really looking for. These deeper desires are typically things like the fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, etc. We can then reflect on the improbability of this attachment actually providing the fruit we desire.

Finally, we can invite God to show us what would be better than the thing we are desiring or the feeling we are pursuing. Ultimately, if our souls are to grow and be healthy, we will need to let go of the things in life that we value more than God.

Surrender will always be part of our transformation.