I think one of my favorite letters from the Screwtape Letters is 28. In this letter Screwtape is scolding his nephew for being happy about the bombing that is supposed to happen in the town where his client is at. Screwtape wants Wormwood to keep his patient alive because he is in the enemies' hands at that time and if he dies he will go to heaven, but if they buy time then there could be a chance to get him to turn away from the enemy (God).
He goes on to say that the longer people stay in the world, the more the world grows on them, and the more attached and comfortable people get in the world. This is why younger people are less unwilling to die than the aged and old people.
I like this because it seems that Lewis is giving homage to the youth. I feel that the world tells us to "be safe" and to "grow up" sometimes but in this letter , that is not what God wants. And I think I agree. I think that God asks us to be unsafe and irrational pretty often.
Quotes like, "Even if we contrive to keep them ignorant of explicit religion, the incalculable winds of fantesies and music and poetry- the mere face of a girl, the song of a bird. or the sight of a horizon- are always blowing our whole structure away. They will not apply themselves steadily to the worldly advancement." Make me believe that God wants the young at heart. He wants us to be whimsical and young so that we do not get attached to the earth that our spirits do not belong in. We need to keep our souls young so that when we hear that song, see that face, or look at that sunset, we can see the beauty of God. The question is, is this possible? Can we keep our hearts young so that we do not grow as attached to this world?
PS. I am post 200
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1 comment:
I take back my comment on the 200th post. Congrats Nick Lynch. You and Chelsea published posts when I was writing mine.
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