I was
introduced to C. S. Lewis the usual way – through Narnia. It was only later
that I discovered he had written several books on various subjects ranging from
theology and apologetics to poetry and science fiction. This little book C. S. Lewis – Readings
for Meditation and Reflection is an excellent introduction to his theological and
apologetical work, with short excerpts drawn from his various books.
Lewis’ unique style of
profound simplicity provides honest answers to searching questions. I love his
no-nonsense attitude of saying it as it is. There’s no flummery or
pseudo-philosophical twaddle. He cuts straight through all the platitudes to the
heart of the matter and strikes home!
Lewis expounds “…the
simplicity that is in Christ.”* Reading his work has made me sit up and
think about… well, about what I think! More often than not, I’ve found myself
complicating my life through my attitudes and my thought process; but the truth
has been so simple all along! It’s liberating!
This slim volume has been
an eye-opener in many ways. Earlier, while attempting to read his complete
works, I felt that a page or two each day was the most my brain could take to
completely appreciate his writing. This book however, is perfect in that sense,
as the excerpts are about a couple pages long at the most! But it has also
revealed a whole new Lewis – the variety and array of subjects and ideas that
he has written about, makes me want to read more. It’s like a foretaste of the
real thing. I think I will appreciate his complete works better this time
around!
Though most of his work
was written in the first half of the 20th century, it still holds
true today. Given below are some gems from his treasury of wisdom! I couldn’t
resist!
“Pride is essentially
competitive…It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being
above the rest…Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of
love, or contentment, or even common sense.”
-
Mere
Christianity
“The man can
neither make nor retain one moment of time; it all comes to him by pure gift;
he might as well regard the sun and moon as his chattels.”
-
The Screwtape Letters
“God…is not
proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we
prefer everything else to Him and come to Him now because there is ‘nothing
better’ to be had.”
-
The Problem of Pain
“To be a
Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the
inexcusable in you.”
-
Fern-seed and Elephants
“If you
simply try to tell the truth (without caring tuppence how often it has been
told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever
having noticed it.”
-
Mere Christianity
“When we want
to be something other than the thing God wants us to be, we must be wanting
what, in fact, will not make us happy…Whether we like it or not, God intends to
give us what we need, not what we now think we want. Once more, we are
embarrassed by the intolerable compliment, by too much love, not too little.”
- The Problem
of Pain
Highly
recommend this book!
* II
Corinthians 11:3
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