Day 25: Yet Even This He Accepts

I just finished reading "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis. I didn't anticipate this book to be an enjoyable read but I did find myself feeling lifted up by the end as he leaves us with this beautiful picutre of what heaven might be like. I don't want to offer a full on critique, or more likely, praise session right now as I don't find much joy in doing so. In fact, I find it a bit of a laborious task. What I would rather do right now is draw on a few things he said that particularly struck a cord with some things I've been thinking about lately.

Firstly, I mentioned in a previous post that my goal in this life was to get to heaven. I want to expand on that a bit as I see this goal in new light after reading what C.S. Lewis wrote. He says "It is hardly a compliment to God that we should choose Him as an alternative to Hell: yet even this He accepts," (chapter 6, Human pain). When I mentioned that my goal was to get to heaven, I was effectively saying that my goal was indeed to avoid Hell. When looking at this from God's point of view, this really isn't a praiseworthy goal and everything else I do "in the name of Christ" suddenly seems to become tainted with selfish motive. Lewis continues saying, "The creature's (speaking here of you and I) illusion of self-sufficiency must, for the creature's sake, be shattered; and by trouble or fear of trouble on earth, by crude fear of the eternal flames, God shatters it 'unmindful of His glory's diminution'. Those who would like the God of scripture to be more purely ethical, do not know what they ask. If God were a Kantian, who would not have us till we came to him from the purest and best motives, who could be saved?" I see any attempt of mine to take back my goal and make myself right with God to be purely vain as it is only through regarding myself as completely inept that I can fully rely on Christ's saving power, even though I am still tempted, I admit, to think myself able in my best moments to act proudly towards God.

More to come!
(this picture is from the time I spent in New Mexico, one of the many beautiful sunsets)