Let Go to Take Hold of What Matters Most
📖 Scripture Readings: Genesis 1:14-23 | Isaiah 1:19-2:4
🪜 The Ladder of Divine Ascent – Step 2: Detachment
Welcome back to our 40-day journey through Great Lent! If you haven’t read Day 1, take a moment to do so, as each reflection builds upon the last. This series is designed to help you grow in Christlikeness by following the steps of The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus, one of the most important spiritual guides in Orthodox tradition.
Written in the 7th century for monks seeking holiness, The Ladder describes 30 steps leading to union with God, mirroring Jacob’s dream of the heavenly ladder (Genesis 28:12). Though originally written for monastics, its wisdom applies to all Christians because the call to holiness is universal.
During Lent, the Church assigns this book for reading because Lent itself is an ascent—a climb from the darkness of sin to the light of Pascha. Each step challenges us to purify our hearts, detach from the world, and move toward God in faith.
Today, we continue with Step 2: Detachment—letting go of the lesser to take hold of the greater.
The Trap of Holding On
If you want to catch a raccoon, here’s what you do.
Take a metal can, bury it in the ground, and drop a shiny washer inside. Then drive nails around the opening at an angle. The raccoon, tempted by the shiny object, will reach in and grab it. But with its fist clenched around the washer, its hand is now too big to pull out.
All the raccoon has to do is let go. But it won’t. It will hold on so tightly that it becomes trapped—often to the point of its own destruction.
We are that raccoon.
The world is full of shiny objects—pleasure, wealth, status, comfort, entertainment, and the approval of others. These things trap us, not because they are powerful, but because we refuse to let them go.
This is why Step 2 on the Ladder of Divine Ascent is Detachment. On Day 1, we renounced the world, realizing we need to leave our old ways behind. But now comes the hard part: actually letting go.
As John Maxwell’s Law of Sacrifice states:
“You must let go of lesser things to take hold of greater things.”
The greatest thing we could ever acquire is union with God. But if our hands are full of distractions, how can we take hold of Him?
Genesis 1:14-23 – The Call to Live in the Light
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens… to separate the day from the night.’” (Gen. 1:14)
On the fourth day of creation, God establishes the sun, moon, and stars to separate light from darkness and to set times and seasons.
This isn’t just about astronomy—it’s a spiritual principle.
When we cling to the world’s ways, we live in darkness. But when we detach from distractions, we step into God’s rhythm—His light, His order, His seasons.
Think about your daily habits:
- Are you trapped in a cycle of busyness, stress, and entertainment?
- Do you move to the world’s rhythm or God’s rhythm?
To climb toward God, we must release what is meaningless and step into the light of His presence.
Isaiah 1:19-2:4 – Choosing What’s Best
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.” (Isaiah 1:19-20)
Detachment is a choice. God offers abundance, peace, and joy, but He will not force us to take it. We must let go of what is lesser to receive what is greater.
C.S. Lewis gives us a perfect picture of this:
“We are like a child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”
God offers us the ocean of His love, but we sit in the dirt clinging to our small pleasures because we cannot imagine anything better.
How often do we do this?
- We hold onto comfort, refusing the call to sacrifice.
- We hold onto entertainment, ignoring the call to prayer.
- We hold onto control, afraid to trust God’s plan.
Good is often the enemy of best. To move forward, we must detach from the good so we can receive what is best.
We are like a child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
Abraham: The Ultimate Example of Detachment
If anyone shows us what it means to detach from the world without fully knowing what’s ahead, it’s Abraham.
Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans, a wealthy and idolatrous city. He had family, security, and status. But one day, God called him:
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
God didn’t give him all the details. He didn’t tell him exactly where he was going, what it would cost, or how it would all work out. Abraham simply knew God was greater than his current reality, so he let go and walked forward in faith.
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)
“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
Abraham could have stayed in Ur, clinging to his comfortable life. But if he had, he would have missed the promise.
We do the same thing. We hesitate to let go because we don’t see the full picture yet. We don’t realize that God’s plan is infinitely greater than anything we’re holding onto.
But here’s the truth: the fullness of God’s promise is only revealed after we take the step of detachment.
The fullness of God’s promise is only revealed after we take the step of detachment.
How to Begin Detaching Today
Lent is for everyone, not just monks. You don’t need to flee to the desert to practice detachment—you just need to stop gripping what’s keeping you trapped.
1. Detach from Distractions
- What wastes your time but adds no value?
- Fast from entertainment, social media, or mindless scrolling. Instead, replace it with prayer and Scripture.
2. Detach from Control
- Where are you clinging to your own plans instead of trusting God?
- Practice surrender: Pray, “Lord, I trust Your timing and Your plan.”
3. Detach from the World’s Rhythms
- The world says “hustle, grind, strive”—but God calls us to peace and trust.
- Set a daily prayer routine that aligns with God’s rhythm, not the world’s.
Final Thought: Are You Ready to Let Go?
A raccoon could be free in an instant—but it won’t let go.
We often do the same. We cling to shiny things that cannot save us, even when they are the very things that keep us from freedom.
But if we can release our grip, we will find something far greater than what we were holding onto: Christ Himself.
“A detached person is one who is free from all things. He is light and moves freely toward Heaven.” – St. John Climacus
Today, take one step toward detachment. Let go of something meaningless to take hold of something eternal.
God is offering you a holiday at the sea. Will you keep playing in the mud?
Reflection Questions
- What shiny objects are keeping you trapped?
- Where in your life do you cling to control instead of trusting God?
- How can you realign your daily habits to move in God’s rhythm?
This concludes Day 2 of our 40 Days of Lenten Reflections. Tomorrow, we explore Step 3 – Exile and how leaving our comfort zone brings us closer to Christ.
May your Lenten journey be blessed and fruitful!
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