Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis is thought inspiring. He prompts us to the question what do I believe? After listening to the debates these past couple of weeks, I've realized that I do not fully comprehend God or His intentions. I continue to rest in His promises and assurances, but questions still arise. I could unpack a 'hot' topic, free will versus predestination, abortion, or the death penalty; but I love to talk about the absolute wonder of God, his grace, his love, and his transforming work in my life. Therefore, I chose to discuss the dramatic conclusion to Mere Christianity.  C. S. Lewis states "Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in" (226-227).

Basically C. S. Lewis is describing the Christian life and the essential components of living the life God planned for you. To clarify, C.S. Lewis is using the "real self" to describe the "self" God desires us to be. Lewis states we must throw away the delusions that a life filled with worldliness and selfishness will satisfy us. It is the classic Christian statement, that life can only be gained through loss, however Lewis twists this statement. He says that you will save it, do not misunderstand and think that Lewis is implying that you can personally earn your salvation. No, Lewis is saying to rid your life of selfishness and thus save yourself from being tempted by the world. Also, Lewis calls us to "submit to death" and not a mortal death, but a death of seeking to satisfy your self- to try and replace God. Lewis also reveals that the things we own are not really ours, and therefore that we should place no value in the materials of the world. The sentence "Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead" declares that the selfishness in us will be removed when we die. In light of this fact, we must not be afraid to remove selfishness from our lives. Lewis denounces the pursuit of self and instead reveals that God is the only one who can offer peace and joy. Not purely satisfaction either, but "everything else thrown in"; God will bless us with more than we can fathom. He will define us, and in His definition the world will pale. 

 I know its a long quote, but I couldn't resist removing one phrase from this statement. Not just the message, but his word choice and sentence structure create such an excellent conclusion to the book. The words "give up yourself, and you will find your real self" impact me strongly; that we, as Christians, are defined by God. We fruitlessly search for our identities in the people around us, asking them to fill the void within us. God calls us to "submit to death"; this death sounds excruciating and near impossible. This death is our lifestyle. Sometimes I wonder if its possible to wholly surrender ourselves to God, forgetting that God can do all things- regardless of my inadequacies. I like the line "death of your ambitions", because in a society where the slogan is 'DREAM BIG', this is a wake-up call. God did not want us to live out OUR dreams, he created completely separate dreams that are uniquely HIS. Lewis defines ownership as worthless; and that a life filled with the desires of our heart is like death. Often times I strive for happiness in this world, I hold on to the tiniest flicker of worldly joy and chase it. This chase is futile; I "look for [my]self" and in that struggle for self-grativication and empty joy I flee from God. Sometimes the "hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay" are all I can see, it is the pit of self, and it is impossible to climb out on our own. When the focus is on school work, grades, or how my hair looks that morning I neglect to see God. Thus comes the line to live by, if you "look for Christ...you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in". It is God's promise to his believers, that if we look for Him we will find Him. What a glorious, consuming love our Father has for us, that He is always ready to receive us!!!