Reflections on God … Man … Life
We are earthbound creatures. We are transfixed on what we see around us. C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, reminds us that we are meant for a fuller existence, and that there is a reality we cannot see fully now, but if submitted to God and His will, forgiven of our sins and living righteously, we will see it. He also deals with a common misconception: Most of us find it very difficult to want “Heaven” at all—except in so far… Read more »
There have been many attempts to describe heaven. All undoubtedly fall short of the reality. We also have some misconceptions about the nature of the afterlife—although that term “afterlife” is a misconception in itself because that’s when life truly begins. C. S. Lewis addresses this in Mere Christianity: There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of “Heaven” ridiculous by saying they do not want “to spend eternity playing harps.” The… Read more »
When you give a title to a book like The Problem of Pain, you may scare away readers. But if the author is C. S. Lewis, more will be attracted to it than repulsed. And despite the “downer” title, it’s really quite an excellent perspective on dealing with the difficulties we face in life. Lewis also offered this encouragement in the book: Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular dwelling in… Read more »
People are always striving to be happy. The problem is the definition of the term. It’s always self-centered and focused on how we feel. As a result, we drift toward the quick and easy, anything that makes us “feel” good. In just two sentences, C. S. Lewis lays bare the barrenness of that approach: Which of the religions of the world gives to its followers the greatest happiness? While it lasts, the religion of worshipping oneself is the best. The… Read more »
There is a genuine happiness and a false happiness. Some people seem to make it their goal in life to be happy, but when that is your goal, you miss it entirely because it’s based on self-centeredness. You run around trying to get happy or find someone or something that will make you happy, but it’s all artificial. Happiness, in itself, is not the be-all and end-all of life. Your expectations make all the difference. In an essay, “Answers to… Read more »
There are many good reasons to have commemorated the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s death. His writings will continue to live and breathe new life into others until the Lord’s return. The insights he offers often can be counter-intuitive. Here’s an example from his Reflections on the Psalms, as he bids us to reconsider which type of sinner may be the more dangerous: It seems that there is a general rule in the moral universe which may be formulated… Read more »
Fifty years ago yesterday, C. S. Lewis, just one week shy of his 65th birthday, slipped into eternity. At the ripe young age of twelve, I was unaware of his death. The whole world was watching the unfolding events surrounding the JFK assassination, so the passing of a university professor whose writings had awakened a generation to the vibrancy of Christianity, went virtually unnoticed. Lewis himself felt his influence had waned in his later years. Most observers agreed, and they… Read more »