It's so hard to see, much less get rid of, all the things that have taken up space in our hearts - space that God himself wants to fill. We may sense, but often can't see the way various attachments crowd out the abundant life that God wants to give us. That car you take such good care of may, in a way, keep you from sponsoring an orphan through World Vision.
 
And you may feel a vague angst about your life without even connecting the dots - you sense something is off, but don't know what. The angst may be immobilizing, incapacitating even. And without knowing what to do, all you may sense is, "I need to make a change."
 
Abandon is the process of taking our hands off of those things that we have clutched to our breast. It is a process that involves turning away from them and renouncing rights to them. It is an emptying that clears away emotional space for new attachments.

Because we in America have so many things cluttering our lives, it's hard to know what keeps us connected to the identity we present to the world - our false self. The obvious things are clear enough: the addictions, the broken relationships, the stuff that fills our garage. But behind all that is no less an array of attachments that may keep us locked down in a spiritual or emotional prison that we can't see.

Attitudes and habits are often invisible to the person who owns them. You may laugh at Debbie Downer on Youtube, but be the last one to see how your wet-blanket comments keep people at arms length. Your cynicism may win you other cynical friends, but prevent you from getting to a place of intimacy with them.

Perhaps the most invisible of attachments, those most difficult to perceive, are those that are culturally defined. If all your friends are spending their evenings on the computer, for example, you may not see the way in which it limits your emotional range. Leave your own culture behind and you may be amazed at the things you thought you needed but really don't. It may blow your mind when you visit Mozambique to see that when the mothers run out of milk for their babies, they pass them on to their friends to breastfeed. You may find yourself charmed by the simplicity of life in many other countries. You may wonder about the choices you made that got you to such a dissatisfyingly complex lifestyle before you left.

And because we may have so many things crowding out the life of God and creating room for the false self in our lives, it's better that we not try to piecemeal the process of abandon. It's better to do what Jesus asked of those candidating to be his disciples - leave everything and do it now. Total abandon requires the leaving of places and relationships. It requires the quitting of commitments, some potentially good. And because it requires leaving, a journey is required.

To onlookers, inevitably this will look reckless. And when what you find on the journey is pain, it may look downright dumb. But suppose that in fact you may be unable to see all the things that have you locked into an identity that is false, one based on posing. Let's further suppose that you are committed to discovering who God intended you to be and what he made you to do. If in fact these are true, then this process of reckless abandon that takes you on a journey away from home and comfort may be the smartest, bravest thing you ever do.
 
Yes, you may meet sickness, robbers, and random misfortune along the way. That's the price of going along a narrow path that has just one safety net - God himself. But as you set your feet on that path, you commit to finding your true self and to a life defined by faith. You commit yourself to living a life where your life's priorities match God's.