Men today hate to be in the dark and want to always have certainty. They cannot live with mystery nor unanswered questions. You need an answer or to know something? Google it. You need to know the meaning of a word. There used to be the dictionary. Now you google it. You need to go to a place the first time? Google it. You need to check out a new bistro? Google it. You met someone today and want to know more about him or her? Go to Google.
And people want answers and do away with the uncertainty immediately. We have instant coffee, instant this and that, fast food, overnight deliveries, 24/7 services. Insurance companies are among the biggest financial companies (as in ‘Too Big To Fail’) by providing ‘insurance’ against uncertainty and the unexpected. At the heart of this desire for certainty is the need to be in control. And in a materialistic culture, this need for certainty and to be in control necessarily lead to acquisitiveness and attachments.
When I go hiking I want to have a safe and comfortable hike. So, I get the proper hiking gear: hiking shoes, loose but sturdy clothes, a backpack to carry the stuff I need like water, food and change of clothes, hiking sticks, etc. It may take several hikes to come the the perfect combination of gears for me. In the process, I have acquired several sets of hiking gears. I feel good and develop a certain attachments to all of these gears. There is one set for summer, another for winter and yet another for spring and fall. Imagine the same process happening with other preoccupations like writing, or biking, or any other sports. In the process, we develop attachments to a myriad of things: cars, houses, blings, clothes, etc. In the end, our lives are cluttered with all kinds of attachments.
At the heart of any spirituality is the realization that we are not in control. God is. Life is a mystery riddles with questions and we do not have all the answers. God does. There is no certainty but God. If I fill my life with the things I am attached to, there can be no room for God. If I can rid myself of the things that encumber me, then my spirit gets lighter to soar upward to God. If I can give away my attachments, my possessions, then I can be a disciple of God. Pushing that further, can I also give up the people I love, the people I really cling to in times of uncertainty, so that I can make more room for God?
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. . . . So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
Luke 14:25-33
Ridding myself of attachments is quite tricky for I could use even God’s word to extricate myself of responsibilities I took on myself. Giving up loved ones for discipleship could rationalize my negligence to respond to the needs of those whom I made my “significant others.” Yes, emptying myself to make room for God, giving Him the complete control of my life and my responsibilities. My faith (it’s not even mine, it’s gift from Him) demands that I do my best, giving all I’ve got, taking chances, planning, etc….then letting go. It’s ironic that liberating experiences often seem and feel foolish.