Shalach is the Hebrew word for letting go. Who does not struggle with letting go of something; anger, jealousy, possessions, a hurtful relationship? The list could be endless. I wonder if whatever it is we hold too tightly becomes an idol? Why does God have to use circumstances and or people to make us let go of innocent things we make evil by making them more than they were ever intended to be?

Idol worship, like grass growing over night, is not always evident, but over time it etches its influence on who you are and moves you away from who you are intended to be.

We recently moved to an apartment. Lily and I have not lived in an apartment since we were first married. Moving from a large house to a small apartment is no easy matter. Do you have any idea how much stuff two people can accumulate after almost thirty years of marriage and four sons? Maybe you don't mean to, but we surround ourselves with stuff. For instance, none of my sons are readers. You might say, "So what?" Well, I gave over four hundred Christian books to the local Goodwill store. I have no idea how many teaching albums I had, but these too went to Goodwill, with the exception of a small few one of my spiritual directee's seemed happy to take. I can picture all those Jack Hayford, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Roy Blizzard etc. etc. cassette sets filling the shelves at Goodwill.

Had my books become an idol? What else shaped who I thought I was? I was surprised at my pain in getting rid of so much stuff; furniture, porcelain eagles, all my seminary papers, assorted knick knacks that don't do anything except gather dust. Then there were all the pictures! I love pictures and I love them to cover the walls. In an apartment one third the size of a house you don't have that many walls. Why did I need all these religious pictures anyway?

After selling a few things, throwing away a lot and just giving even more stuff away we finally moved. The first week I was dejected, depressed and struggling with this great sense of loss. I did not want to admit that moving to an apartment brought a sense of failure. What else would explain why I was unable to develop any interest in the things I love? If you catch yourself suddenly listlessly moving through the routines of life you need a reality check.

Lily said we need to get out and explore our new neighborhood. What we discovered is wonderful! It is called Brown's Ferry Park. It is a beautiful walk through the woods next to the Tualatin River. I try to enjoy it every day. It is a wonderful place to walk and pray and a very practical gift from A God who knows if we hold too tightly to the things we have ... we lose the opportunity to enjoy life.