It’s an ongoing series, a day-by-day stream of consciousness that’s moved from waking to pain to addiction to dopamine to social media addiction to breaking the habits by way of gratitude to living a life of examined investment. Today, I’m kicking off a series on disordered attachments.

***

Last week, I made a confession, one I figure damn-near every modern American could make. The confession? Too often I fail to invest in the things that matter (the greater things) because I’m too busy tending to the temporal things (the lesser things). And what happens when I invest in those lesser things instead of the greater things? They become 1,000 horses, dragging me away from the life I want to live, the life of purpose.

In the Christian tradition, this sort of exchange—trading things that matter for the things that don’t—is often known as forming disordered attachments. Consider a few quotes from the great saints:

”If you purify your soul of attachment to and desire for things, you will understand them spiritually. If you deny your appetite for them, you will enjoy their truth, understanding what is certain in them.” -St. John of the Cross

“How are you to meet the swarm of foolish attachments, triflings, and undesirable inclinations which beset you? By turning sharply away, and thoroughly renouncing such vanities, flying to the Saviour's Cross, and clasping His Crown of thorns to your heart, so that these little foxes may not spoil your vines.” -St. Francis DeSales

“[W]e call Spiritual Exercises every way of preparing the soul to rid itself of all inordinate attachments, and, after their removal, of seeking and finding the will of God in the disposition of our life for the salvation of our soul.” -St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Saints are saints for a reason, I suppose, and these saints knew the truth: The things we tend to in lieu of the things we ought to indicate our disordered attachments. So as we begin this week’s exploration of disordered attachments (or disordered investment, as it were), ask yourself these questions:

If I look at my calendar and examine the way I use my time, what do my actions show me about what matters most?
Sure, there are practical things that need to be done, but am I pursuing more than is practical? Am I trading my family, spirituality, and creativity for the pursuit of wealth or importance or prestige or power?
Are there addictions, habits, or compulsions in my life that keep me from pursuing the things that matter most? Am I ready to call those disordered attachments?*

*If you’re enjoying this ongoing series, forward it to a friend and invite them to read along.

***

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEWED THE BOOK OF WAKING UP!

Here’s what they said:

“In very short chapters, Haines tosses out questions and then provides answers, but always in an open-ended, inviting way. … These fruitful ruminations will appeal to readers who enjoy the works of Jim Wallis.”

Order your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever good books are sold.