In order to renounce something good, we need to have someone or something of greater and higher value. This desire could be a loving relationship with God and it can surpass all other desires. It is assured by the presence and love of God. It is because of this experience that many men and women over the past two thousand years have left everything for the love of God.

What is my understanding of renouncing something in life? Is this purely a negative attitude? Is there a vision, a choice that underlines my experience or understanding of renunciation?

To renounce things for the sake of Jesus is not to renounce happiness; as Jesus tells us, it is to gain a hundred times more than what we give up. Genuine happiness is a sign of one's sincere self-donation. This is a way to outgrow selfishness and pettiness in one's life and to find the real self. As we gain or experience a touch of our real self, then we too find the blessings of God in our lives. We are assured of this blessing in Jesus. "Set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ will be revealed" (1 Pt. 1:13).