Lately in a wreck of a Californian ship, one of the passengers tied a belt about him with two hundred pounds of gold in it, with which he was found afterwards at the bottom. Now as he was sinking — had he the gold? or the gold him? -- John Ruskin, Unto This Last

We all have attachments. They certainly can be Gold or accumulation of material wealth, but they can take other forms as well. False pride, a life style, addictions, the past, are just a few belts we hold. Self-examination is a process of determining whether we control them or they control us. I attended my football reunion recently, and it reminded me of the teammates I had who never left “the game.” When I say, “never left the game” I am not referring to went into coaching or still enjoy telling stories about exploits from the glory days. I am talking about my teammates who when their football career ended due to injury, graduation, or the realiazation that they had gone as far as they could go in the sport, never moved on. Football had been their life and rather than let go, they like Ruskin’s passenger, sank to the bottom of life holding on to the very thing that was dragging them down.I suspect you know someone like this in a similar context.

If I am honest with myself, I recognize part of me in Ruskin’s and my teammate’s stories. There are many things in our lives that a very difficult to let go. This is where friends, family, and most importantly God can help us. In prayer simply ask God to untie the belt(s). When God does we not only stop sinking, we are gently guided back to the surface.