Freedom From Attachments to the Past

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)

This series of statements all point to the same issue: if you want to begin again, you must release your attachments to the past. This is not so much a call to let go of memories, fond or otherwise, but rather to stop using energy to continue to respond to these memories.

The only place we can effectively act is in the now moment. When we feel overburdened, it is because we are expending energy focusing on problems that are impossible to resolve in the present. All we can do is mull them over, dispersing our creative energy. It’s like plowing the same furrow over and over. You can get just as exhausted plowing one furrow a hundred times as plowing a hundred furrows once and the result is much less satisfying.

Solutions to our challenges have a way of presenting themselves, though not necessarily on demand. We sometimes have to let situations mature to the point where we know exactly what to do. Our energy drains come from speculating on what should be done, before it’s time to do it. Jesus talked about letting the weeds and the crops grow together, refraining from pulling the weeds until they are clearly identifiable. There is a great deal of wisdom in this. How often do we destroy our present peace by focusing on eliminating the weeds?

Today, take a moment to connect with your Source. Know that you have all the intelligence and energy necessary to do what lies before you. If you feel overburdened, like your life is going nowhere, know that you are plowing the same furrow. Let it go, and move on.