On Abandonment

A few weeks ago, I was facilitating a prayer retreat for my church.  We are reading through a 17th century book by a French woman, Jeanne Guyon.  She was teaching on the idea of abandonment.  I immediately had a negative reaction to that word, so I asked the group to respond to the word abandonment before we began reading the very short chapter.  Every one of us had a negative connotation of abandonment. “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here” For many of us, this can be our reaction to life in the church, in prayer or with God.  Mme. Guyon is challenging this notion and talking about a different kind of abandon TO rather than FROM.  It’s fascinating.  Two quotes to give a snapshot of this idea.

" Abandonment is casting off all your cares.  Abandonment is dropping all your needs.  This includes spiritual needs."

"You must remember to whom it is you are abandoning yourself ." 

So, I looked up the word and it leads us back to abandon.

Definition of abandon

transitive verb

1a : to give up to the control or influence of another person or agent 

b : to give up with the intent of never again claiming a right or interest in  

·      abandon property

2: to withdraw from often in the face of danger or encroachment  

·      abandon ship

·       soldiers forced to abandon their position

3: to withdraw protection, support, or help from  

·      he abandoned his family

4: to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly  

·      abandoned himself to a life of self-indulgence

5a : to cease from maintaining, practicing, or using  

·      abandoned their native language

b : to cease intending or attempting to perform  

·      abandoned the escape

I have a lot of old habits, negative thoughts and subconscious wrong thinking.  I was reading through this list of definitions and chewing on the ideas here of abandoning the bad stuff and abandoning myself TO God, to grace, to His help and ideas.  He has been revealing some lies to me that I believe about the poor and this broken world and that I feel abandoned, but it’s not true. There is hope and HE is at work in this crazy world.  I don’t know that I always believe or see that in action, though, in my head, I do.

Summer is always an opportunity to let go and relax.  So, this week, I have been trying to step out of old habits of fear and stress and control with my kids and pause and take baby steps towards abandonment TO God.  Infintiely more peaceful and humble way to live!  Then I forget and get caught up in any flavor of  distraction.

Over the years, I have thought a lot about the life of faith being one of surrender.  I have thought abandonment a more hedonistic way of thinking and a kind of giving up.  I do like God calling us to Him in abandonment—it is very freeing and childlike.  This will be my word for the summer and my practice.  

If you want a good read... here is the book.  She is such a good teacher!