Abandonment and Freedom: Reflections on a new Adventure. 

“Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

As I prepare to leave for India in a few weeks, I can’t help but think of one of my favorite movies, “Into the Wild.” If anyone has ever sat through this movie, you know that the 2 1/2 hour long story is not your typical thriller. I, however, saw it 3 times...in theaters! I often wonder what it is that entices me so much about Christopher’s story, but I think that what ultimately draws me to his adventure is a reckless abandonment and absolute freedom. 

When Christopher graduates from college he rejects his conventional life by destroying all of his credit cards and identification documents. Renaming himself ‘Supertramp,’ he donates nearly all of his entire savings of $24,000 to charity, abandons his car and sets out cross-country to experience life in the wilderness. 

India, while not the great wilderness of Alaska, is definitely as far in the direction of ‘unknown’ as I have ever been. If you have ever met me you know that I’m not much for solitude, so while I don’t see myself going completely rogue in the near future, there is a part of me that longs for this type of disconnect from modern society- unplugging myself from the matrix of technology, expectations and materialism that controls most of the western world. 

It is rare these days that I take time to sit down and write, that I have time to listen and reflect. Mental stillness is hard to come by in a world of Twitter, instant news and social networking. The distractions of today seem overwhelming and I can feel my heart longing for simplicity, clarity and freedom. As of late those words- reckless abandonment- seem to be saturated with freedom. 

Abandonment, in a spiritual since, is absolutely biblical. God calls us to follow him with a ‘reckless abandonment’, and as Hillsong suggests ‘with arms high and hearts abandoned.’ It sounds great but what exactly does it mean to do something with reckless abandon? What are we to abandon? Family, Home, money, success, expectations, comfort...perhaps. Some things are easy to let go..and others, harder. In order to follow God without regard for the consequences, every other earthly thing  must be worth abandoning. Every person that Jesus called to follow him had to completely abandon their old life and yet true abandonment must be driven by a wild and wonderful passion - the type of passion that drives us to do the impossible- to believe that the Kingdom truly can come.  

Abandonment does not always mean moving to India, but, whether mentally or quite physically, it is the first step of entering into the story that God has for us. When are hearts are open to God and emptied of everything else, there is great freedom to obey and great reward in his presence. 

"I'm not entirely sure you're at the right house," said Bilbo, staring at the giant wizard. How could someone so great and powerful expect a little old hobbit to go on an adventure? "No adventures, they make you late for dinner."

Bilbo promptly stormed in the house and sat down for his dinner, smiling as he tucked his napkin into his shirt. His home was just lovely. Bag End was his favorite place in all the Shire - beautiful, peaceful, and familiar.

Little did he know that by nights end, he would be arguing with a gang of dwarves and the same giant wizard, still refusing to join their quest. Even the dwarves agreed - this was no adventure for a measly little hobbit.

"The wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," said one of them.

The powerful wizard retaliated, "I have chosen him. He's got a great deal to offer more than any of you know, including himself."

As the argument escalated, little Bilbo fainted with a mix of fear and inadequacy. After he awoke and rested for a bit, he was still begging "No, no, let me sit."

"Bilbo Baggins. You've been sitting quietly for far too long. When did your mother's dishes and doiles come to mean so much to you? Your stories are not in books - they're out there in the world. You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back, and you'll never be the same."

Despite the powerful call, the spirit of inadequacy spread past the little man with big feet through to the small dwarf army.

"We're tinkerers and toymakers - hardly the stuff of legend," said one.

The wizard would have none of it. "When I called, you answered. All I ask for is loyalty, honor, and a willing heart."

But still, their small army set out in the morning, hobbitless. As Bilbo awoke, he realized he had said no, gotten his way, and was free from the call to leave behind all he knew for the quest. But a seed had been planted in his heart. He'd tasted the possibility of a journey, an adventure. A story about more than his mother's dishes, doilies, and a quiet dinner in the Shire. So, he went. He began his story - his adventure.

And we all know the story of what happens because he made the decision to put his inadequacy behind him.
To abandon the quiet familiar. And to start his adventure.

- From “The Hobbit”