Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” // Matthew 19:21

Detach, detach, detach.

I repeat these words to myself often. The things I cling to in this life are not necessarily the same earthly goods that the man in today’s Gospel could not let go of. They are probably simpler things. A sink free of dishes, the schedule going just as planned, a couch with no stains on the fabric, the house perfectly organized, and having the time to do it all. When I catch myself grumbling, that’s when I know I’m clinging. Clinging to some perception of perfection, and a vague sense of control that I can so easily convince myself that I have. 

When I find myself in this space I can also feel the distance that I’ve wandered from Our Lord and His peace. He desires that I come to Him, so that He can fill me with the things that bring true serenity. But I cannot be filled if I am clinging, and I can’t drink deep of the well if I am full. 

Let’s stop for a moment today to recognize what attachments are weighing us down. Are we stuffed to the gills with unreachable expectations? Are we satiating ourselves with an illusion of control? How tightly are we clinging?

If we can pry open our fingers and let it go, we have nothing left to fill us but the only One who actually can. And we can follow Him then with abandon, knowing that the Living Water will quench us, and the Bread of Life will fill us. It’s only then that we are free to follow; it’s only then that we are free. 

Lord, help me to see what it is I am holding onto, and detach. Detach, detach, detach.