3. Let go and let be

“For the person who has learned to let go and let be, nothing can ever get in the way again.” ~ Meister Eckhart

“He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment.” ~ Meister Eckhart

“The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won’t let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away, but they’re not punishing you, they’re freeing your soul. If you’re frightened of dying and you’re holding on, you’ll see devils tearing your life away. If you’ve made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.” ~ Meister Eckhart

"Let go and let God" means the same thing as to "let go and let be". It sounds so simple and so easy. Simple yes. Easy no. Oh, heck no. Letting go means just that - to let go. There is more to consider. Way more.

 First, what does letting go entail? It means giving up control. Actually it means giving up the illusion of control. Really, the only I can control is the temperature of my coffee before I sip it. We are expected to control our reactions to events and circumstances but that is actually a big deal when we have spent a lifetime doing the opposite. As it is said, we are not responsible for our first thought be we are responsible for our second thought and first action. That does not mean we can control anything beyond that first action.

 We can look at this from a couple of different perspectives. The inclination to not let go is really an act of practical atheism to not rely on God no matter what we say we believe. It goes like this, "That's ok, God, I have got this one. I don't need any help for this." That is what I say just before the wreck. To truly let go is to invite God into my daily life and to move toward aligning my plans with his plans for me as he would have us all do. I can sometimes tell when I am actually doing his will when focus on most benefits from my actions, myself or others.

There is a second perspective that is more in line with Eckhart's teachings. His focus is on what clutters and complicates our lives and prevents us from being in communion with God. The more we focus on human things which matter little the less we can focus on the issues of greater, perhaps, even ultimate concern. We busy ourselves about as Quoheleth points out in Ecclesiastes but we do so at our folly. Detachment from earthly things is how we grow closer to God. Time and time again Eckhart makes the point we should become less and less so that God and our relationship with him will become more and more present in our lives.