Learning to Let Go: My Contemplation of Verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 44 of the Tao Te Ching:

Which means more to you,

you or your renown?

Which brings more to you,

you or what you own?

I say what you gain

is more trouble that what you lose.

Love is the fruit of sacrifice.

Wealth is the fruit of generosity.

A contented man is never disappointed.

He who knows when to stop is preserved from peril,

only thus can you endure long.

 What are we holding onto?

I'm sitting here watching a show called Hoarders.  It brings me to tears that people choose things over their loved ones.  Hoarders don't realize that their trash and clutter comes between them and the family and friends that love them.  They don't realize that what you gain in stuff can lead to a terrible loss of relationships.

Not being able to let go of things robs us of the ability to nurture friendships and love in our lives.  More than anything, our attachment to things and certain people prevents us from moving forward.  Paralyzed, we can't even turn to God for help.  There comes a time to stop pursuing things, people, and situations.  This is the time to prioritize.

What do we need to let go?

We must free ourselves of those objects, people, and circumstances that are holding us back from living a good quality of life.  In order to get our freedom, we must seek out the Tao, or Source of all that we have.  The Tao, or God, the Father, can tell help us figure out what we need to keep.  He can tell us what we need to purge.

To lovingly share of what we have is liberating.  Just think how we can bless others with clothes and toys that are no longer useful to us.  Instead of things, like clothes and toys, taking space, let's give them to someone who can use them.  The feeling from sharing, and the joy in someone's face, is worth more than those things.

Letting go of people and situations is equally hard.  I know.  I've been there; I know how painful it is to release people who are toxic and/or want to move on.  It's in letting them go that we ourselves can move forward.  If we keep those people in our lives, we risk staying stuck in a rut and not improving the quality of life.

How do we move forward in life?

Giving of ourselves is the ultimate blessing to us.  When we give of ourselves, we stand the chance of gaining.  Giving is essentially gaining.  When we give to others, they become friendly.  That gives us the opportunity to make (gain) new friends.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it very much.  

I've got some questions for you: Are you using hoarding things?  Are you holding on to people who are toxic?  Are you hanging on to memories of the past?  Do you want to move forward but feel stuck in a rut?  I pray that we would answer these questions truthfully and seek God's help in letting go of the clutter in our lives, whether that is material and/or toxic people.  I pray that we would ask God for His help so we will more loving with one other.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.