I have always enjoyed C.S. Lewis’ writings. It is as if his words overflow from a heart that is overpowered by God’s truth. While many of us scramble to put these truths into words, Lewis grapples with them until he can clearly put them into beautiful and logical essays that describe precisely what many of us know as a vague concept but cannot express. Upon reading many of Lewis’ essays, these things ring true to us. I believe Lewis’ many powerful quotes strike us because it is an expansion of biblical truth. Lewis takes biblical principles and pushes them to the extreme of their logic. His work may produce ideas that we are not always comfortable with at first, for example that we have no right to happiness; but when we evaluate our beliefs we must come to the conclusion that we must accept these truths in our lives. We do not, in fact, have a right to happiness if we also believe that the purpose of our life is to glorify God and be near to him in joy, not happiness. The process of exploring our beliefs was stretching and refreshing.
I appreciated that the C.S. Lewis DCM was not intended merely to study Lewis at a deeper level, as I had originally expected. DCM was an opportunity for students to take these challenging concepts, struggle with them, and apply truth to our lives. I was challenged not only in my way of thinking, but in my walk with God. I was convicted by the material we were studying, but also by the words of wisdom of Professor Adriana and Paulo Ribeiro and the way they lived out their faith in our class. They were a living example of good and faithful servants of Christ and their passion and faith was contagious.
Through the works of C.S. Lewis and Plantinga, DCM was a constant reminder of the purpose of my life. Both authors wrote about longing and hope. Our human hearts yearn and long for something; we long to be fulfilled. The beautiful picture Lewis painted was that of our relationship with beauty. We are awe struck by the beauty we see around us. We long, not only to take it in, but for it to take us in. This is because we were created to be united with our Savior and satisfied in Him. The beauty of this world is reflection of the beauty of our God. Our desire to be united with it reflects our purpose of being united with Christ (Lewis, “Weight of Glory”). Plantinga makes an interesting point that longing is an ingredient of hope. If we hope for something, we will want it; if we want it, we will long for it (Plantinga). We all search to find satisfaction that can only be found in God. But we can only find fulfillment when we finally rest in God’s forgiveness and grace.
The past two and a half years of my life have been a time of struggling with my purpose and the assurance of God’s faithfulness. I grew up in France as a child of missionaries and the transition to the United States has been difficult and lonely. I started college at Michigan State University. While I had a well established life there, I was struggling to keep perspective of the truth. My faith felt like a house of cards that was about to be knocked down by a gush of wind, just as Lewis said in one of his essays. I transferred to Calvin in hope of finding accountability in my faith. Once again, I found myself without much community. Eventually, I started to believe that if I had good friendships, community, and an established position in a community I would be satisfied. Even though intellectually I knew that the purpose of my life was to glorify God in the pain, my heart longed for happiness above all else. Happiness was an idol. But God’s timing and plan is perfect. This Christmas he revealed to me, and I heard as if for the first time, that he wants me to find my contentment with Him. My prayer ought to be, “Lord, I want to know you more in the midst of this time” instead of “Lord, take away the pain.”
I came to DCM with this new lesson in mind. Day three of interim our class discussed the concept of a right to happiness. My immediate reaction was that we have no right to happiness. I agreed with Lewis’ essay; we are not entitled to anything in this life (Lewis, “No Right to Happiness”). God used this class discussion to convict me. If I know that I am not entitled to happiness, why have I been living in relentless pursuit of happiness? Just as I mentioned earlier, we are meant to find our purpose and joy only in Christ. Living for happiness is a life of idolatry. It is empty and vain. Lewis and Plantinga’s writings exposed the falseness of my thinking. I had been mistaking happiness as the longing and purpose of my life, when what I long for is to be united with Christ and live by his grace. My purpose in times of pain is to point to my glorious God just as much, if not more, as in my happiness. C.S. Lewis’ quote puts it beautifully:
Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world and my only real treasure is Christ (Lewis, “The Problem of Pain).
Just as we discussed during our last class period, some of us may only reach this conclusion after painful circumstances. In the pain, we are often faster to rely on God and learn the lessons he has for us. He may strip us of any idols we are putting before him so that we may finally worship him as we should. In the midst of pain we may not find happiness. But we are commanded to be joyful nonetheless. Our joy is rooted in Christ and his character, not in our circumstances. We can rest in the knowledge of his faithfulness and goodness, though we cannot expect that our circumstances will always be enjoyable.
Plantinga and Lewis also remind us that as we live in Christ, we are called to pursue God’s calling on our life through our education. Both authors exhort us to glorify God not only the most significant moments of our life, but in our everyday life and particularly in our education. Lewis urges us to pursue education not for the sake of obtaining a degree, but for the sake of knowledge itself (Lewis, “Our English Syllabus). Plantinga urges us to not look at our education as something that will make us more employable, but as an opportunity to prepare for our vocation (Plantinga). They remind us of the eternal dimension of our education. Through our education our minds are challenged and stretched. We learn invaluable life lessons; the content of our education is not nearly as important as our attitude towards our education. If we view education only as a means to an end it will merely be a stepping stone to a more successful life and we will lose its value. But if we see the value of education in itself, it can shape and enrich us as a people.
Plantinga reminds us that we are to pursue God’s calling on our life through our education. When we see education as an opportunity to prepare to be a prime citizen of heaven, we pursue more than a career; we pursue a vocation. We do not pursue a vocation out of selfish ambition; we pursue God’s calling on our life so that we can bring the Kingdom of God to earth (Plantinga). Our entire life should be a song of praise to God, not to ourselves. As we pursue our vocation we can be prime citizens of heaven who devote every aspect of our lives to the Lord and enthusiastically serve God’s purposes in love.
DCM’s readings, class discussions, and Professors Adriana and Paulo all served to point us to God in every way. While we approached many interesting concepts and were challenged to action, we must not let these things distract us from our ultimate goal. In all that we do, we must not forget to do all things in love. Our objective should be God himself. Just as Lewis constantly reminds us, nothing, not even good objectives, should deter us from God. If our objective is anything else but God, we have been tricked into idolatry. God desires to be the first and all-encompassing passion in our life.
Citations
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Human Pain.” Problem of Pain. 1962.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “No Right to Happiness.” God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. 1970.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Our English Syllabus.” Rehabilitations and Other Essays. 1939.
Lewis, Clive Staples. “Weight of Glory.” Theology. 1941
Plantinga, Cornelius. “Vocation in the Kingdom of God.” Engaging God's World. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pray the Devil back to Hell
Pray the Devil back to Hell was a gut-wrenching documentary on the violence and war in Liberia that occurred in the past 10 years. The story is told through the eyes of the Liberian women who stood up to demand peace in their country. Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, was using violence to assert his power and control the Liberian people. Opposite the president was the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), a rebel group determined to force Charles Taylor out of office. The Liberian people were victims of the violent conflicts between the two groups; both groups used appalling violent methods to attack the Liberian government and the Liberian people. Fathers were killed in front of their families, daughters were raped, and mothers were tortured.
While violence was the only method the government and the LURD were using to get their point across, Liberian women decided to stand up for peace. It began in the city of Monrovia. A small group of women organized a protest during which they wore white and spent day and night on the side of a busy city road. They requested President Charles Taylor and the LURD to engage is a peace discussion in order to cease the use of violence in Liberia. What began as a small group soon drew thousands of women. To my amazement, these women were successful in gathering both sides together at a peace conference. After weeks of refusing to sign a peace agreement and increased violence in Monrovia, the Liberian women blocked the group leaders in the conference center, forcing them to come to an agreement. After four devastating years of war, the women of Liberia were successful in establishing peace in their country.
The story of these Liberian women is one of the most powerful stories I have heard. These women were average mothers and wives, yet to my great amazement they were the force that pressured top political leaders and put end to the war. They did not resort to violence or hatred towards those who had killed their children and husbands; they called upon the humanity of both parties and asked for peace. That such a small group of ordinary women had such influence speaks to the power of individuals and perseverance. These women persevered for years and would not be intimidated by political powers.
The statement of one woman stood out to me more than any other. Once the war had ceased and men and boys from the rebel troops began to return to their villages, this woman said “We must forgive them for killing our families and love them – though it is very hard.” These women who had watched such horrors desired to welcome back the perpetrators into their villages, because if they did not they would never attain peace. One sign read “we love you, welcome back.” This kind of love surpasses any human understanding. When I hear this kind of story, Christ’s love seems all the more amazing to me. We are liars and murderers. Just as I look with horror at the things that took place in Liberia, God looks in horror at my sin. I am just as unworthy as those rebels and that president. And yet God is pleased to look upon me with love and forgiveness. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
While violence was the only method the government and the LURD were using to get their point across, Liberian women decided to stand up for peace. It began in the city of Monrovia. A small group of women organized a protest during which they wore white and spent day and night on the side of a busy city road. They requested President Charles Taylor and the LURD to engage is a peace discussion in order to cease the use of violence in Liberia. What began as a small group soon drew thousands of women. To my amazement, these women were successful in gathering both sides together at a peace conference. After weeks of refusing to sign a peace agreement and increased violence in Monrovia, the Liberian women blocked the group leaders in the conference center, forcing them to come to an agreement. After four devastating years of war, the women of Liberia were successful in establishing peace in their country.
The story of these Liberian women is one of the most powerful stories I have heard. These women were average mothers and wives, yet to my great amazement they were the force that pressured top political leaders and put end to the war. They did not resort to violence or hatred towards those who had killed their children and husbands; they called upon the humanity of both parties and asked for peace. That such a small group of ordinary women had such influence speaks to the power of individuals and perseverance. These women persevered for years and would not be intimidated by political powers.
The statement of one woman stood out to me more than any other. Once the war had ceased and men and boys from the rebel troops began to return to their villages, this woman said “We must forgive them for killing our families and love them – though it is very hard.” These women who had watched such horrors desired to welcome back the perpetrators into their villages, because if they did not they would never attain peace. One sign read “we love you, welcome back.” This kind of love surpasses any human understanding. When I hear this kind of story, Christ’s love seems all the more amazing to me. We are liars and murderers. Just as I look with horror at the things that took place in Liberia, God looks in horror at my sin. I am just as unworthy as those rebels and that president. And yet God is pleased to look upon me with love and forgiveness. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The Problem of Pain
C.S. Lewis’ chapter on human pain challenged me and refreshed me with truth. Yet while Lewis offers us an explanation on the purpose of pain, he does not have all the answers. I think the questions and tensions surrounding the concept of pain will never be fully answered until we reach heaven. Nonetheless, while we cannot rest in the assurance of leading a painless life and we inevitably face pain, we can rest in the character and goodness of our God.
When looking at pain, I have been tempted to believe that God must not be as faithful as he promised to be; he must have forgotten me for a time. The lies that Satan throws our way when we are overcome by pain is that horrible circumstances reflect God’s unloving and imperfect character. We, or at least I, am so ready to believe in those first moments that the Lord is not who he says he is. Yet once we come close to God in our pain, his Holy Spirit reveals to us that God is truly good and faithful. And this revelation is even more beautiful than before. We can grasp onto it with a desperate and thankful heart, because God has stripped us of all that we were grasping onto before. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”
As Americans, most of us live a very comfortable life. Everything is at our fingertips. We can “have” so much in this life. We often say, “We have been so blessed to have all of these things.” But is it not also a curse? We become so easily distracted and obsessed with what God has given us. If he gave us just enough to survive, maybe we would be quicker to turn to Him in thanks and worship. We take God’s gift, and we greedily worship it, quickly forgetting the one who graciously gave it. I shared this verse in a previous blog, but I think it applies: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21). If these things are threatening to take God’s place in our hearts, we should flee them until they no longer threaten to own our hearts. Fasting from these things for a time could be a great defensive weapon to keep them far from the throne of our lives. As to pain, God uses it to do just that: to distance these things from our hearts.”
Such pain may appear purposeless from our human perspective. But we are only permitted to see a small portion of the big picture. Pain reminds us that there is a big picture; living for the pleasures of the moment does not constitute life. When we reach the understanding “that all these toys were never intended to possess [our] heart, that [our] true good is in another world and [our] only real treasure is Christ,” we get a glimpse of God’s beautiful and marvelous purpose.
When looking at pain, I have been tempted to believe that God must not be as faithful as he promised to be; he must have forgotten me for a time. The lies that Satan throws our way when we are overcome by pain is that horrible circumstances reflect God’s unloving and imperfect character. We, or at least I, am so ready to believe in those first moments that the Lord is not who he says he is. Yet once we come close to God in our pain, his Holy Spirit reveals to us that God is truly good and faithful. And this revelation is even more beautiful than before. We can grasp onto it with a desperate and thankful heart, because God has stripped us of all that we were grasping onto before. C.S. Lewis puts it beautifully: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”
As Americans, most of us live a very comfortable life. Everything is at our fingertips. We can “have” so much in this life. We often say, “We have been so blessed to have all of these things.” But is it not also a curse? We become so easily distracted and obsessed with what God has given us. If he gave us just enough to survive, maybe we would be quicker to turn to Him in thanks and worship. We take God’s gift, and we greedily worship it, quickly forgetting the one who graciously gave it. I shared this verse in a previous blog, but I think it applies: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21). If these things are threatening to take God’s place in our hearts, we should flee them until they no longer threaten to own our hearts. Fasting from these things for a time could be a great defensive weapon to keep them far from the throne of our lives. As to pain, God uses it to do just that: to distance these things from our hearts.”
Such pain may appear purposeless from our human perspective. But we are only permitted to see a small portion of the big picture. Pain reminds us that there is a big picture; living for the pleasures of the moment does not constitute life. When we reach the understanding “that all these toys were never intended to possess [our] heart, that [our] true good is in another world and [our] only real treasure is Christ,” we get a glimpse of God’s beautiful and marvelous purpose.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Man or Rabbit?
"The idea of reaching 'a good life' without Christ is based on a double error. Firstly, we cannot do it; and secondly, in setting up 'a good life' as our final goal, we have missed the very point of our existence." -C.S. Lewis
This quote seemed to me to be the bottom line of Lewis’ essay. It addresses a lie that so many people believe, Christians and non-Christians alike. Because God has written the moral law in the depths of our hearts, we know that there is such a thing as good and many will reach the conclusion that our life purpose must somehow be connected with goodness. This is true. The essence of God is goodness and love; God is goodness. He designed us to be united with Him, and thus be united with goodness. However the object of our pursuit and affection is not goodness in itself, but God Himself.
This lie that the end goal of our life is goodness is closely connected to the truth that our end goal is the good God. However this lie may be one of Satan’s most effective tools to distract us from God. I see several dangers of living a life for the pursuit of goodness. We can do nothing good apart from Christ (although I believe Christ can still use those who don’t know Him to do good). When the objective of my life is for me to do good, there is one major problem: my and me. I am the source of the good action. The focus is for me to accomplish the greatest degree of good actions I can accomplish. At the end of the day if I have done something good, I deserve the glory. When I do all these good actions to “be the best person I can be” and perfect myself, I am totally missing the point. I cannot be the best person I can be without Christ - and this is not even the point when I do know Christ. The focus on how good I am or how I need to be better, instead of living out the reality that no matter how good I am I still fall short of God’s glorious standard and I need his grace every minute of my life. When I live by Christ’s grace every day, the goal of life is not to be “a good person” – this is a selfish goal – but to humbly be near to the Lord and let him, in my utter brokenness and failure, use my weaknesses (and strengths) to reveal how great He is in my weakness.
Once we grasp this reality, it is liberating. In the Old Testament we were under the law. When Christ came he freed us from the law, that we may live to know him and not live to meet the requirements of the law. But when we live to be “good people” we put ourselves under the law again – and we can never be justified. When we accept God’s grace, we no longer need to live to do the best we can do. We live to be near to God and live by his redeeming grace in all that we do. When we choose to live in God’s grace and love, and not by our own means, we experience great freedom that can never be found outside of his grace.
This quote seemed to me to be the bottom line of Lewis’ essay. It addresses a lie that so many people believe, Christians and non-Christians alike. Because God has written the moral law in the depths of our hearts, we know that there is such a thing as good and many will reach the conclusion that our life purpose must somehow be connected with goodness. This is true. The essence of God is goodness and love; God is goodness. He designed us to be united with Him, and thus be united with goodness. However the object of our pursuit and affection is not goodness in itself, but God Himself.
This lie that the end goal of our life is goodness is closely connected to the truth that our end goal is the good God. However this lie may be one of Satan’s most effective tools to distract us from God. I see several dangers of living a life for the pursuit of goodness. We can do nothing good apart from Christ (although I believe Christ can still use those who don’t know Him to do good). When the objective of my life is for me to do good, there is one major problem: my and me. I am the source of the good action. The focus is for me to accomplish the greatest degree of good actions I can accomplish. At the end of the day if I have done something good, I deserve the glory. When I do all these good actions to “be the best person I can be” and perfect myself, I am totally missing the point. I cannot be the best person I can be without Christ - and this is not even the point when I do know Christ. The focus on how good I am or how I need to be better, instead of living out the reality that no matter how good I am I still fall short of God’s glorious standard and I need his grace every minute of my life. When I live by Christ’s grace every day, the goal of life is not to be “a good person” – this is a selfish goal – but to humbly be near to the Lord and let him, in my utter brokenness and failure, use my weaknesses (and strengths) to reveal how great He is in my weakness.
Once we grasp this reality, it is liberating. In the Old Testament we were under the law. When Christ came he freed us from the law, that we may live to know him and not live to meet the requirements of the law. But when we live to be “good people” we put ourselves under the law again – and we can never be justified. When we accept God’s grace, we no longer need to live to do the best we can do. We live to be near to God and live by his redeeming grace in all that we do. When we choose to live in God’s grace and love, and not by our own means, we experience great freedom that can never be found outside of his grace.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Plantinga - Chapter 5
Plantinga’s discussion of college reminded me very much of C.S. Lewis’ “English Syllabus.” Lewis urged us to pursue education not for the sake of acquiring education, but for the sake of knowledge itself. In Chapter 5, Plantinga takes a similar stand. He urges us to not see our education only as a degree that will make us more employable, but to see our education as the opportunity to prepare for our vocation. “The full value of your education is that it will help you find and prepare your vocation.” Our attitude towards our education should glorify God. We are called to apply ourselves in college because our focus is on the Kingdom of God. Because we desire the Kingdom of God to come, we prepare for prime citizenship through our education.
I think Lewis and Plantinga both address students’ view of their education because they see the easy trap students fall into. Today a much higher percentage of students attend college than 100 years ago. Students may begin to view college as “the normal” course of things and the mandatory next step in their education. We may begin to value education for what it will procure us: a degree and employment. But both of these things are so temporary. As humans, we once again fall into the trap of keeping our focus on things that are temporary. Yet Lewis and Plantinga understand that our education has a far more significant and eternal dimension. Through our education we grow as individuals. We are challenged, pushed, criticized, and praised. We learn how to think, not just what to think (in fact what we think will likely change over time). We learn how to engage in God’s world and what our place is as humans in God’s world.
A “good citizen” will appreciate his education, but fail to truly view it in the eternal perspective and in light of God’s Kingdom. A “prime citizen” engages in his education and sees its value in light of eternity. Ultimately, we must be cautious to not fall into apathy and be careful not to become jaded, both in our education and in our role as citizens of heaven.
I think Lewis and Plantinga both address students’ view of their education because they see the easy trap students fall into. Today a much higher percentage of students attend college than 100 years ago. Students may begin to view college as “the normal” course of things and the mandatory next step in their education. We may begin to value education for what it will procure us: a degree and employment. But both of these things are so temporary. As humans, we once again fall into the trap of keeping our focus on things that are temporary. Yet Lewis and Plantinga understand that our education has a far more significant and eternal dimension. Through our education we grow as individuals. We are challenged, pushed, criticized, and praised. We learn how to think, not just what to think (in fact what we think will likely change over time). We learn how to engage in God’s world and what our place is as humans in God’s world.
A “good citizen” will appreciate his education, but fail to truly view it in the eternal perspective and in light of God’s Kingdom. A “prime citizen” engages in his education and sees its value in light of eternity. Ultimately, we must be cautious to not fall into apathy and be careful not to become jaded, both in our education and in our role as citizens of heaven.
The Inner Ring
“The quest of the Inner Ring will break your hearts unless you break it.” Lewis’ statement is true, not only for the inner ring, but for anything we pursue more than God. As we said in class inner rings in and of themselves may be good. However it is our motives and our hearts that make it a sinful quest. Once our pursuit of something pushes us to live for it, once it affects our decisions and judgment, it is in danger of becoming an idol (or may already be on idol). Inner rings may serve their purposes, but when our goal becomes to be inside the inner ring so that we may find our value in belonging there, the inner ring will in fact “break your heart.”
1 John 5:21 urges us to be wary of anything that takes this kind of place in our lives. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” The interesting thing about many idols in our lives is that these things we pursue more than God may not be evil in themselves. But once again, it is the place we give them in our lives that turns it into idolatry. The advice in 1 John is not only to keep these things from becoming idols, but to keep away from these things altogether. If in our life constantly taunts and tempts us to put it before God, we should distance ourselves from it altogether. Lewis provides this suggestion for inner rings. He tells us to break free from our desire to be in the inner ring. Since it is a desire, and not something that can be so clearly removed as some other idols, we must discipline our minds. We must constantly “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Above all our thoughts, our desires, and our actions should be a slave to Christ.
1 John 5:21 urges us to be wary of anything that takes this kind of place in our lives. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” The interesting thing about many idols in our lives is that these things we pursue more than God may not be evil in themselves. But once again, it is the place we give them in our lives that turns it into idolatry. The advice in 1 John is not only to keep these things from becoming idols, but to keep away from these things altogether. If in our life constantly taunts and tempts us to put it before God, we should distance ourselves from it altogether. Lewis provides this suggestion for inner rings. He tells us to break free from our desire to be in the inner ring. Since it is a desire, and not something that can be so clearly removed as some other idols, we must discipline our minds. We must constantly “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Above all our thoughts, our desires, and our actions should be a slave to Christ.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Four Loves
Lewis distinguishes four types of love. Storge love is affectionate love; philia is love in friendship; agape is God’s love; eros is love between the sexes. While Lewis refers to agape as “God’s love,” I think we see different aspects of God’s love when each of these loves is expressed. There is something beautiful and unique about each of the three other types of love. Each reflects an aspect of God’s love for us. In class we focused on eros, the last type of love. Eros is the love between two individuals who are in love.
As Lewis put it, “eros does not aim at pleasure or happiness,” as we may first expect. In class we discussed that while men may fall in love, it is an altogether different thing to be in love. I would argue that falling in love may be said to be somewhat “natural.” Anyone can fall in love. Yet being in love is a choice. Falling in love may be relatively “easy;” as we said in class it just “happens.” On the other hand staying in love requires strength of character and a daily commitment to selflessly love another. I thought Lewis’ analogy of a garden was perfect that describe the eros love that occurs when people choose to be in love. A garden will naturally grow, but the gardener must get rid of weeds that threaten the beautiful plants and he must prune those plants that are continually growing so that they may grow more.
One of Lewis’ quotes struck me the most out of all he said. “Love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a God.” In one of the chapters of our readings, Lewis offers a point that helps us understand this: God is love, but love is not God. This is an interesting idea, which I believe is true, but is something I had never thought through before. We must worship God, knowing that the essence of Him is love. But we must not worship love, because love itself is not the god. Especially in relationships with high emotional ties, I think it is important for us to have discernment. Are we worshiping love in and of itself? Or are we worshiping God first and foremost through our relationship? Love itself can be in danger of becoming an idol. We may become slaves to this love, yet not slaves to Christ. We are called to devote ourselves to Christ in all that we do; to be slaves of Christ.
As Lewis put it, “eros does not aim at pleasure or happiness,” as we may first expect. In class we discussed that while men may fall in love, it is an altogether different thing to be in love. I would argue that falling in love may be said to be somewhat “natural.” Anyone can fall in love. Yet being in love is a choice. Falling in love may be relatively “easy;” as we said in class it just “happens.” On the other hand staying in love requires strength of character and a daily commitment to selflessly love another. I thought Lewis’ analogy of a garden was perfect that describe the eros love that occurs when people choose to be in love. A garden will naturally grow, but the gardener must get rid of weeds that threaten the beautiful plants and he must prune those plants that are continually growing so that they may grow more.
One of Lewis’ quotes struck me the most out of all he said. “Love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a God.” In one of the chapters of our readings, Lewis offers a point that helps us understand this: God is love, but love is not God. This is an interesting idea, which I believe is true, but is something I had never thought through before. We must worship God, knowing that the essence of Him is love. But we must not worship love, because love itself is not the god. Especially in relationships with high emotional ties, I think it is important for us to have discernment. Are we worshiping love in and of itself? Or are we worshiping God first and foremost through our relationship? Love itself can be in danger of becoming an idol. We may become slaves to this love, yet not slaves to Christ. We are called to devote ourselves to Christ in all that we do; to be slaves of Christ.
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