Day 55

"Do not be deceived, Wormwood.  Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do [God's] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."

"The Screwtape Letters"
C.S. Lewis

I'm not a person who usually re-reads books.  There are a choice handful that I have re-read over the years, but for the most part I like reading new books.  But right now I am re-reading "The Screwtape Letters"  and it is just as powerful as the first time I read it. If you haven't read it you need to.  C.S. Lewis provides amazing insight into human nature, and does it in a very direct way.  He can get away with it because the format for the book is letters between demons, and for some reason we can take uncomfortable truth about ourselves better from demons (since we expect them to cross the line anyways) than we can from a pulpit.   C.S. Lewis had an interesting comment at the beginning of the book.  He says, "Though I have never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment...Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded. It almost smothered me before I was done."  And yet he did finished it, and the world is a better place because of it.

I shared with you my favorite literary paragraph a few days ago.  The above quote is also on my favorites list, but this time I know exactly why.  I love it because we have all been there.  We have felt a dryness in our souls and felt as if God was very, very far away.  But even though we couldn't see it, He gave us the strength to endure.  We have all read our Bibles without feeling like it.  We have all had times of going to church when we don't feel like it. But we did, because we know that obedience to our God is more important than feelings. It's when God gives us His strength and we cling to His truth and
promises to get us through the drought.  That's why I love that quote.

"The Screwtape Letters" are full of choice morsels like that.  It can be a quick read if you let it, but it can also cause great soul-searching if you allow yourself to linger over the truths found in the pages.  Again I would encourage you to read it, even if you already have.  You will be challenged, and that's a good thing.

May you find joy as you read.