Tag Archives: CS Lewis

The highest of virtues

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What would you say is the highest of all virtues? CS Lewis contemplated that in his time most would say it is ‘unselfishness’. At the same time he contended that great Christians of the past would have said ‘love.’ And he lamented how a negative term had replaced a positive one.

What do you think of when you consider the word ‘unselfish’? Is it putting others first or is it simply denying ourselves in some sort of regimented way? While self-denial is biblical and profitable for us, it is not an adequate replacement for the virtue of real love, is it? When you fast or give up something you enjoy for a period of time, this is not an end goal. It is a means to a greater goal. Jesus said that if we wanted to be his disciples we must deny our self, pick up our cross and follow him.

Our desires are not the base problem. Repeatedly, God tells us that he longs to give us our hearts desires. He promises unimaginable rewards, in heaven and now. CS Lewis: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant 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. We are far too easily pleased.” (The Weight of Glory)

Let’s remember especially in this Lenten season, our ultimate goal is not to give up, but to take on the cross and thus take on the endless love of Jesus.

Easily distracted from REAL satisfaction?

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How many things distract you during any given day?
Daydreams, having to check your phone every time it chirps at you (or when it doesn’t), breaking news stories, gossip, interruptions, worry, thinking about lunch plans in the middle of the Sunday message? Do you find that wayward thoughts distract you even in the middle of your prayers? (I hate when that happens. It’s like visiting with a friend and then having to apologize for not really listening because your mind went its own direction for a moment.)

Psychologists have long promoted the idea that we are all motivated by what brings us pleasure. We spend because it brings us pleasure to buy things. And we save because we perceive that will bring us greater pleasure later. We serve ourselves or we deny ourselves, we eat or we abstain, because of the satisfaction we attach to those acts.

I wonder if we are distracted from really important things in our life because we are too easily pleased with ‘lesser’ things. CS Lewis states that we are content to make mud pies in the street when we could be enjoying a vacation by the sea. Either not aware of the richness of other life activities or persuaded that something lesser will satisfy more, we too often settle for less. We KNOW eating a healthy snack or saving money would match our values better, but we settle for empty calories and spur of the moment purchases because it seems appealing at the time. Or maybe we pursue activities we know don’t match our values because we think they will appease our feeling of sadness, pain, sorrow, etc.

In this journey with leukemia, I have really enjoyed the satisfaction of reveling in God’s creation, visiting with family and friends, quality time with my wife, and quiet times with God. These are some of the best things in life. They help me to put a dimmer on pain so I can actually see the joy around me. (I said sometimes. It seems a hard lesson to master.)

I wonder if you have recently taken time to think about the things that bring you pleasure and then considered which of these bring you the MOST pleasure? Is it possible that your greatest satisfaction is found in growing your relationship with the one who created you and who has such a good plan for you? I think it starts with growing a thankful heart. I hope your ‘thanks’ list is growing more than your complaints and wish list these days. Don’t let the lesser things of life distract you from enjoying life fully!

Chew well, swallow, and take a new bite

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TO MARY WILLIS SHELBURNE: On being overconcerned about the past of others and of our own.

5 June 1961

We must beware of the Past, mustn’t we? I mean that any fixing of the mind on old evils beyond what is absolutely necessary for repenting our own sins and forgiving those of others is certainly useless and usually bad for us. Notice in Dante that the lost souls are entirely concerned with their past. Not so the saved. This is one of the dangers of being, like you and me, old. There’s so much past, now, isn’t there? And so little else. But we must try very hard not to keep on endlessly chewing the cud. We must look forward more eagerly to sloughing that old skin off forever—metaphors getting a bit mixed here, but you know what I mean.
(From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III)

I like phrase Lewis uses: “But we must try very hard not to keep on endlessly chewing the cud.” Our moms taught us to “chew well” but after so much chewing it is time to swallow and taste something new. So it is with dwelling on the past. Lewis is not saying to forget everything that is past. He IS saying to let go of past sins and regrets. Once confessed, it is needless and reckless to continue dwelling on them. I think he is also saying to stop dwelling on the past…even the “good ole days.” Why? Because there is more life to live today.

I think with severe illnesses there is a tendency to “chew the cud” a bit on old memories but even when you think the end is more near than far away, there should be a strong pull to face forward in our thoughts, to live today well with anticipation of a bright tomorrow, and to contribute toward the well-being of others when possible.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

The end of one adventure is the beginning of the next

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“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy. “Before we go, will you tell us when we can come back to Narnia again? Please. And oh, do, do, do make it soon.”
“Dearest,” said Aslan very gently, “you and your brother will never come back to Narnia.”
“Oh, Aslan!!” said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.
“You are too old, children,” said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.”
From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, CS Lewis

It was a sad moment for Lucy and Edmond, realizing that their great adventure had come to an end. But the great Aslan reminds them of an important lesson we would do well to also learn:

The end of one adventure is often the beginning of another.

For me, there was the end of a good career and good health and the beginning of the battle against cancer. While not the adventure I had sought, it has not been without certain revelations I may have missed elsewhere. Then there was the end of the cancer (for now at least) almost a year ago and the beginning of a new life with new stem cells and all the blessings and trials that come with that. There is for each of us the end of the adventure of life as we know it and the greatest adventure of life after death!

For now, there is the end of this past year and the anticipation of the new one upon us. It is a time to consider wise words:
“There is a time for everything…a time to mourn, a time to stop mourning…a time to fight and a time to stop fighting.” (Ecclesiastes) Always, it is time to accept and fully embrace the life transitions given to us. It is a time, as Paul puts it, to forget what is past and to press on to what is ahead. (Philippians 3)

Imagine a new year being decidedly content and fully satisfied with God’s plan being unveiled in your presence, day by day. Imagine living by faith with reckless abandon the adventure to which he calls you. Don’t shy from it despite your pain, your doubts, your regrets, or your fears. Embrace this new year as a gift to be fully explored and enjoyed.

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19

We have known great joys together

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“We have known great joys together. If Aslan gave me my choice I would choose no other life than the life I have had and no other death than the one we go to.”
(From The Last Battle, The Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis)

The commonality of great books and inspiring quotes is that they speak to us in ways that both our mind and our heart recognize as having lasting and essential value. They cut through the distractions and frivolity of life and lead us into the presence of eternal truths. Like the life saving beacon of a lighthouse, they guide us through rough waters to the safe harbor God intends for us. They remind us our purpose is not to drift aimlessly through life, but to be guided by a secure and firm hope of living well and finding satisfaction in our journey’s end. Like the CS Lewis quote above, they keep us focused on living life honorably and without need for regret, because we have known great joys together. In this quote, the word ‘together’ refers to the Christ-character of Aslan. In our life, it is the joy of sharing in the joy of Christ himself; the same Christ who freely offers to live in the hearts and lives of his followers.

I hope you will take time today to celebrate the joys of living well, with God and with others, so that we may one day die well too and enter a new prosperous life that lasts forever. How else will your light shine in the world?

“You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11

Starved for solitude

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“We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and privacy, and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.” CS Lewis, The Weight of Glory

My first thought in reading this quote is just the opposite; how much we need each other. I found this to be so true in the first nine months of leukemia treatment. Suddenly pulled from my normal routine of vibrant interactions with dozens of people daily, I found months of relative solitude to be a rather ‘painful’ experience. In fact, Lewis does address this earlier in his message. “We are forbidden to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. We are members of one another.” The Christian experience, without the building of true community is an oxymoron. We are meant for one another.

But what is it about our soul that leaves it starved also for solitude and meditation? We live in a world that makes constant demands for our attention. A steady flow of never-ending electronic beeps calls us to tasks, appointments, and endless access to news, social information, and status updates.

God designed us not only for activity, but also for stillness. “He MAKES me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23) He prompts us: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) “Meditate on (His Word) day and night so that you may be careful to do everything in it…to be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8-9) The psalmist writes, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

Probably, the busier we are in our current season of life, the more we need to take time to find an oasis throughout the day where we can find restoration and peace. Reformer Martin Luther commented, “Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer!”

Imagine going for days without any food or water. Soon you will discover the depleting effects from lack of nourishment: weakness, lack of productivity, confusion, irritability. The more you work, without replenishing your resources, the less you will accomplish. The less you accomplish, the more you will be tempted to work harder and longer. But it will not satisfy. The vicious downward spiral always works against us.

Meditation and prayer nourishes our soul. They lift us out of the depths of despair, refresh our perspective, and lead us on the path to wisdom and understanding, to peace, and renewed strength. God describes it like lifting us as on the wings of eagles! (Psalm 91)

The truth is we need both the solitude of meditation and the true friendship and community with others. We cheat ourselves when we neglect one or the other. I hope you will intentionally pursue both of these today. It is the path of experiencing God’s best for you.

Doing What Jesus Said: Become Like Children

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I write each post primarily to remind myself how I need to live my life each day. In this series on Do What Jesus Said, I am also writing to the community who profess to be Christians (though I believe there is value for all of us in these writings). It is to our – and the world’s – neglect when  we call ourselves followers of Christ but give little regard to living out what Jesus told us to do. “We are so easily pleased,” (and distracted) CS Lewis would say. But the truths that Jesus spoke are meant both to convict us and to transform us. Only then can we be “the light of the world.”

“And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:2-4

Jesus was always enthralled with the little ones and their honesty and humility of faith. He said, no matter what knowledge we have and without regard to how many good deeds we did or even prayers we said, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become like children. Imagine that, heaven filled with a bunch of kids playing and enjoying God forever without adults to interfere and legalize things!

I think one of the things Jesus loved about children was their ability to receive and share love unconditionally. We adults have difficulty with this; there always seems to be strings attached.

One of the principles I tried to pass on while I was in business leadership was to “presume goodness.” Rather than always take the offensive when “that” person spoke up, presume they have a good heart and seek first to understand. If their heart is ill-intended it always comes out on its own. Give love a chance. I am still learning this lesson!

I think another thing about children that captured Jesus’s heart was their ability to imagine a world quite different from the one they live in. Do you still have that gift of imagination? It allows you to see what is unseen and to contemplate a changed world.

Yes we are called to grow up in Christ, to mature as we come to a greater experience of His love for us. At the same time we are to hold onto that childlike faith that believes what is real, but just can’t be seen with the human eye.

That is the kind of faith that works. Keep it simple… Do What Jesus Said: become like a child, spend time with children like Jesus did, and as you teach them gentleness and wisdom and love and compassion, let them teach you about the kingdom of God.

More Than Conquerors

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I hate the feeling of being so weak there is nothing left but tears. My body is so tied up it seems and it is hard to not focus on what hurts. But focus it does. As C.S. Lewis commented, “Pain demands attending to. It is God’s megaphone for rousing the world.”

So I want to be roused. I know that God’s grace is sufficient for me because His power is made perfect in my weakness. I feel the power to surrender and do so freely. I feel the power to endure day by day, often moment by moment. But the power to overcome seems evasive. But then, overcoming is not just captured in the excitement of being the first one to cross the finish line, or making the winning goal in a soccer game. Sometimes the overcoming spirit is to plow through the battle confident of God’s victory, to not give in to what Leukemia is doing to my body and mind, but waiting for His resolution of the matter in His timing. I have so much more to learn, to experience the confidence of Stephen while he was stoned, the hope of Paul as he was flogged, the passion of Jesus as He suffered for us.

Every moment, no matter what type of hurt we endure, there is power to overcome, if only because it is our great God who is our overcomer, and whose love never abandons us.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

Attending To Pain

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“Pain insists on being attended to.” (CS Lewis) Sometimes there is a fine line between giving attention to our pain and dwelling on it. Then again, there are some ‘seasons’ of pain when pain is so great that it cannot be escaped.

The last few days have been like that. Between painful swallowing, lower GI tract problems, fevers, and unresolved headaches (I know, I just had written how they had decreased!), it has been hard to focus on much else. Having received my last dose of chemo yesterday, I hope to be on the upswing soon. In the meantime, they put me on a Dilaudid IV drip (morphine’s stronger cousin). The problem with with some of our ‘treatments’ is that sometimes they create more problems, in this case extreme fatigue and sleepiness, nausea, and constant itching. So I’ve notched that dose down to balance a little relief with more ability to concentrate and less side effects. (I’m glad I had a number of posts written and scheduled in advance for this very purpose.)

It’s hard to choose a positive path in the midst of intense struggles, whether they be physical, financial, relational, or spiritual. But we need to decide whether we serve a GREAT God or not, and ask Him for His strength to respond accordingly.

The human brain cannot focus instantly on two opposites at the same time. It cannot dwell on the anxiety of pain and also, at the same time, focus on praising God for His goodness. The body may remain in pain, but the disciplined mind can choose how it will focus its attention…a lesson I am still learning.

“If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.” Hebrews 3:14 (The Message)