If you ask me, I think I’m pretty detached from money, status and things of the world. After all, I gave up having my nails done so I could give that money to a charity. I only buy clothes on sale. I spend way less money than most of my friends. I can always tell myself that I am doing better than others. But how am I doing really? I needed someone to challenge me.

I got that challenge in the way of a Bible study I am taking that is asking me to consider the ways I indulge myself way too much. It’s been a wake-up call to the discrepancy between what I think I believe and what I live out. So far, I have far more food items in my kitchen than others (I have just two people at home, and I don’t even have a pantry); my clothing number is higher than I guessed and much higher than the leader of this study. It all adds up to the fact that I am more attached to this world than I let myself realize.

The question is Why? When? How? My answers are that it happened when I wasn’t looking. I wasn’t looking at God for His wisdom about what I bought and what I ate. I was just going with the flow of the world and these things seemed important. I didn’t consider whether these things were worthy of my love; I just knew that I enjoyed them.

I got so attached because I didn’t have my priorities straight. Rather than “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33), I followed my fleshly desires. My fleshly desires led me straight into a bondage I wasn’t even aware I experienced.

Guigo 1 says, “Desiring exquisite food and clothing is like painting firewood. These things are consumables. Clothes keep you warm regardless of their color. Common foods will satisfy your hunger. Desire what is right for you.”

What is right for me is to seek God first, then I won’t get so unhealthily attached to overabundance. Having more is not only embarrassing—especially when the leader of the Bible study has a family of six and less food in her kitchen (and I’m sure she has a pantry). I better watch out so that Ezekiel 16:49 won’t be said about me too—“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”

Now I have a new problem. I not only have to recognize that I have too much, I have to find the time and place to get rid of some of the things that I have. How am I going to do that? I better start seeking first God’s kingdom and get His wisdom about getting rid of it before I make an even bigger mess of things!

It’s time to get unattached. Now that is soothing to a soul!