Whatever was an asset to me I now count as loss. Everything that I regarded as an asset I now regard as rubbish for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count everything as less compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness from the law but that righteousness which comes through faith in Christ’. (Phil 3:7-9)
Here is a very powerful statement of specifically Christian values, that in comparison to the excellence of knowing Christ whom I have come to know by losing everything, everything I have lost which means let go of is rubbish. You may still have the job that you had, you may still have the security that you had, although you will probably be more aware that it is not as secure as it looked or as permanent as it seemed, but what you have learnt to do through the practice over time is to let go of these as primary values in your life. They are no longer your primary focus and object of concentration. If you have them, it is great; you don’t throw them away. On the other hand, you recognise that like everything else in life they are impermanent, and you are prepared to let them go.
( Finding Oneself 1 Laurence Freeman )
