As a Christian, when we know we are loved, this is the best preparation for letting go, acceptance, and detachment—surrender. There is not as much need to judge, rather to understand. This is useful practice when engaging in mindfulness, “awareness.”
In Whelan (2011), he describes detachment comes to us as a gift. It is a product of grace, not mastery or manipulation. Just as those who are loved turn easily and joyfully towards those who love them, detachment has us easily and joyfully looking beyond ourselves towards the One who has loved us. In this we are grateful.
One of the telltale signs of authentic Christian detachment will be joy and gratitude—two natural human reactions to the experience of love and freedom. Christian detachment enables us to see what does not really matter in this or that circumstance and graciously let go of it.
I am reminded of a poem (lyric) by Helen Seiner Rice entitled “Strength.” It encapsulates what is needed for detachment, judgment, and acceptance:
“ If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be ‒
If I can remain calm and quiet
With all my world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me‒
If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too ‒
Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all the chains
That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear ‒
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.”
Have faith in yourself and others around you. You do not need ‘others’ approval or validation constantly; instead, you know who you are at your core, who others really are too.
Be thankful for what you already have, and not worry about what you do not have. This allows us the spiritual freedom to surrender in strength of stillness.
References
Lloyd, S. M. (2000). Rice, Helen (1901-1980), violinist and advocate of Chamber Music. American National Biography Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1802913
Whelan, M. D. (2011). Being loved into freedom: reflections on a Christian understanding of detachment. The Australasian Catholic Record, 88(3), 306–317. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=CPLI0000526095&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s8333196&groupid=main&profile=eds1
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