Monkeying Around with Letting Go I
by Rev. Lana Charlton
was reminded of an old story the other day about monkeys making monkeys out of men trying to catch them. But the men try something dif- ferent, learning that monkeys have a hard time letting go. Catching a monkey can be fairly easy: cut a small hole in a coconut (so that a monkey’s hand can slide in) and fill the coconut with its favorite fruits. Tether the other end to the ground. Before long a monkey will come around, smelling the fruit, put its hand in and close its fist to pull the goodies out. The problem is the opening is too small for the monkey’s fist. The monkey has to let go of the goodies to get its hand out. However, once it gets a hold of that fruit, it will not let go, even if it means its freedom.
Holding on with faith that transformation is possible is a
good thing. When holding on to things that block our very free- dom, it is time to let go. In the classic Imitation of Christ, Thomas Kempis advocates a regular practice of letting go: “To sum up, dear friend of Mine, unclench your fists, and let everything fly out of your hands.” Have you tried lately to let go of fixed ideas about the way things are supposed to be and how people are supposed to behave? The mind likes the security that comes with my answers about right and wrong. Letting go of hurry in this fast paced world is a big chal-
lenge. We are rewarded with multi-tasking, working hard and fast. Quick thinking and actions are rewarded. In fact, waiting and contemplating things seem to be long lost. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke suggests, “Trees do not force their sap, nor do flow- ers push their blooms.” Maybe with some dawdling time we could hear the voice from within saying, “your freedom is in letting go.” Take a moment and make a fist with your hand. Really
clinch it hard and hold it for a full minute, then release it. Now imagine that “clinching” had been going on for years. Your hand would be almost frozen in that grasp. It would take time, effort,
and love for your freedom to begin to flex your hand little by little and let go. Joyce Rupp writes, “Deep
down, of course, I realized the necessity of letting go as the only thing to do. Holding on too tightly to anyone or anything only deprives oneself of growth. Clinging too tightly to something squeezes the life out of it. Hanging on for dear life for security’s sake prevents one from what the future offers. I did want to go forward. I did want to
grow. So I walked out the door with hope in my heart, knowing that letting go involved a price to pay.” The price we pay for not letting go, however, is surely greater than the price to let go. Lama Suri Das writes, “Letting go means to lighten up as well as enlighten up.” There is always something to learn in both the letting go and why we have held on. Both are good to “en- lighten” yourself with because life is a constant process letting go. It is very enlightening to discover that once we get what we want, it was not enough and now we are after something else. Monkey mind wants it all, but never appreciates the sweet fruit of the moment. The greatest gift we are offered is the ability to be trans-
formed by changing our thinking. We do not have to dwell in negativity and control. When we try to control the world around us, it is usually a sign we feel totally out of control. We have been gifted with the choice to see anew. The gift is only offered in the present moment, but the best news is, it is offered again and again. Dr. Martin Luther King suggested that faith was taking the
first steps even when you don’t see the whole staircase. Taking steps faithfully every day in letting go, even when nothing seems to be changing, will bring us to the freedom we desire. Rev. Lana Charlton is the senior minister at Unity Gateway
Church, Coral Springs, FL, and writes for numerous worldwide, national, and local publications. See ad this page.
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Broward County, Florida
http://FtL.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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