I read Randy Alcorn's book, 'Safely Home', twice. Now, I'm reading 'Mere Christianity' by C. S. Lewis for the second time. It is the only book I recall ...that I've marked sections in the margins.
Our Pastor encourages us to write in the margins of our Bibles, or highlight sections. I've never done that before ...because I would be highlighting just about every line, and that would either be like changing the page color, or if I chose different colors it would look too psychedelic. And that would make it either blinding, or distracting at least.
But, I am thankful that there were my previous marks in the margins for quick reference ...because so much of what C. S. Lewis said is relevant to what I've come to conclude, and I'm going to quote him often here. I think he has great insight ...and certainly can present his thoughts more intellectually than I.
When I was young, my energy level often allowed me to proceed much faster than my brain. So, I could consume much food before my brain and stomach could even reach an agreement & convince me that I was full.
When it was evident that I was stuffed, I would often say, "I don't even want to look at another piece of pie!"
Perhaps next Thanksgiving I would forget that and indulge all over again. And Dad would always say, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach."
Monday, March 10, 2014
Sometimes experiencing the fullness of something does effectively work to change our desires, but too often it does the opposite.
Let's look at a time it was effective ...with the excess working to lessen the desire.
It was in Egypt, during the time of Moses. The Egyptians worshiped the frogs. The frogs were their sign of abundance. The frog's song would announce the overflowing of the banks of the Nile. And that meant fertile soil and an abundance of crops.
But, it was when our Lord sent Moses to have a contest with Pharaoh, sending plagues to the Egyptians ...that Pharaoh saw how the very creature that they worshiped, soon brought them to the point of being sick of all the frogs. The frogs had come into their houses, into their beds, and likely unto their heads.
Another example: You could think you are sick of having the same food to eat, yet if you lived in an impoverished country ...you may be grateful to have any food at all, even if it was always the same.
I guess boredom becomes a factor in many of these conversations. If you turned on the radio, and heard the same song a dozen times in a row ...you may tire of it.
Yes, many people say variety is the spice of life ...but if it's an essential, most everyone would make do without the spice, though the addition of spice would be more desirable.
***********************************************
Okay, let's look at an example where an excess of something does not lessen the desire, but on the contrary, could become like an addiction.
The first thing that comes to mind ...is money.
I guess that's why the Bible say the 'love' of money is the root of all evil.
Perhaps we should first look at evil ...and discern how it may be different from just 'bad'.
I believe that most of us don't consider people as being so bad ...it's just that we make bad choices. Those bad choices would be those that we would perhaps call unwise ones ...choices we would not favor in repeating.
I think that evil is something more of not only willfully continuing to make those bad choices, but with full knowledge that those bad choices will not only have a bad effect upon others ...but a very bad effect, and often a violent and devastating effect. And usually it creates an advantage for one at most everyone else's expense.
This is not to confuse the issue of thinking an advantage for one at the expense of most other people's feelings is inclusive of those things which we may believe to be good ...even though God clearly would have us not go that route. Stepping over those bounds would be attempting to put ourselves above God's standards ...and that was a grand mistake Lucifer made. Some of you may refer to him as Satan ...yet, I prefer to refer to him very little and only as a point of reference. And that point of reference is a point of difference, not deference.
I believe we have traveled too far down a road, which C.S. Lewis would say is not progress, or progressive. He points out that progress is turning around when you are going in the wrong direction, not continuing further from the point you want to reach.
Yet, the Bible clearly speaks of a condition that I believe is a big part of where we find ourselves today. It is from Isaiah 5:20:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Much of the world is bitter about the things that believers see as good ...and even more so when they feel they have an authority that is above all the cumulative knowledge of today. That authority is the Bible, and believers call it the Word of God. It is difficult to claim to follow anything without a precise description of what that is ...and to claim to follow God without following the Bible would appear to me to be absurd.
To follow God, you have to know Him ...to follow the enemy, you don't have to know it.
There is a battle going on, as C. S. Lewis describes it ...with many people giving the majority of the ground to emotion and imagination. The other side of the coin would be restraint ...and submission to God, not our emotions. Imagining is good mostly when we attempt to imagine how great God is ...and it is called glorifying Him, not our own sense of discovery.
And emotion is one of the greatest things God has given us ...but, not to wallow in it. Our emotions should bring us to the point of appreciating God more. Emotions are indications, not solutions.
One of the classic lines I've heard over and over again, is, "You just don't understand!"
There are times where we can focus so much on the solution that the person's perception of our sincerity is that we care less about the person than the problem ...but don't let this skew your own perception by thinking perhaps the other person doesn't have a point.
After emotions are shared, and the range of them considered ...it should never end without considering what God would have us do.
And don't minimize someone's input because you feel they are not experienced or have nothing to say on the subject.
I once worked with a girl in a Mental Institution who approached me with a problem of hearing voices. She was taking medication for this, but felt there was no improvement. Now, I don't know why she chose me to talk to ...and I don't know whether God had her become overwhelmed just at that moment, so she would be willing to talk. Perhaps she saw how together I was, and felt confident that I had all the answers ...no, that couldn't be it!! So, I think it was probably because we were all State employees ...and perhaps I was the only one at that moment paying attention to the actual job we were supposed to be doing.
Anyway, back to her problem of hearing voices. Now, I have never heard voices like that ...and I have never studied that condition, but she was asking me and i sincerely wanted to help.
The first thing I did, was admit that I had no expertise or experience with that. I then said that what I was going to tell her may not help, but I didn't think it would hurt ...and as she was saying, nothing else was helping.
I told her that the voices had likely developed a relationship with her, and though some people have said they have a friendly relationship with the voices, it was clear this was not the case with her.
I told her the voices had a sort of control over her, and that was something it would seem they preferred while she did not. And I said that it sounded sort of like a 'bully' voice. I suggested that she not respond to the voices, and pretend that she doesn't hear them. I warned her that the voices may temporarily get louder, as a bully would get if one suddenly stopped letting themselves be bullied ...but though I could not say whether the voices would go totally away, they would eventually likely get quieter and she'd be able to manage better.
Working for a State facility, I could not offer advice about praying to God ...nor that it could be a spiritual issue, not a medical one. I could not undermine the Doctor's treatment ...but I had other ways I felt everyone there knew I was a Christian, and perhaps they would figure for themselves where my source of freedom was from.
This is a case of me having no experience,yet she later told me it happened just as I had said. I saw how she was smiling as the weeks went by ...not tormented, and that made me very happy.
C.S. Lewis did not speak well of Sigmund Freud's knowledge on such subjects. Freud did not believe in analyzing what God would say, but that we should merely understand what we ourselves can understand, then attempt to meet the need. He felt that a society provided with the things it would otherwise be tempted by ...would be filled, and able to then move on without the thing continually occupying our thoughts.
Hard to believe, but some psychologists even today still believe that pornography is healthy. They say it satisfies the desires that may otherwise be acted out in real form outside the pages of any magazine. But the truth is, pornography acts like an addiction. Saying it suffices a person is like saying shooting heroin levels off someone's desire and leaves them satisfied. This is so inaccurate ...and what really happens is that it leaves the person desperate for more.
C.S. Lewis said, "We never find out the strength of evil impulses, until we try to fight them." And I will add, that we will not know if we could have had victory, unless we give it our best not to concede.
We must never forget that wisdom comes from God ...but we also can't remember what we never knew. Another thing C.S. Lewis said, "You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk."
A sober Christian understands a great deal more about good and evil, than anyone who is not sober. And 'sober' doesn't just have to do with abstaining from alcohol. There are many other things one can be 'under the influence of' or intoxicated with ...that will prevent us from being as clearheaded as we should be.
C. S. Lewis said, "Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
C. S. Lewis embraced Christianity after listening to arguments by his friend, J. R. R. Tolkien ...the year my Dad was born. And it doesn't matter to me whether his ideas are original, or from discussions with a friend. Wisdom comes from seeking out God. And virtue comes from valuing what He shows us.
C.S. Lewis shared four of the seven virtues, which he says are listed as 'cardinal' virtues. He says the word 'cardinal' comes from a Latin word meaning, 'the hinge of a door' ...because they are 'pivotal'.
We all seem to value justice the most, and become outraged if we think the 'laws' of fairness have been violated against us ...but are we really for justice?
We go to counseling mostly for relationship difficulties. I am going to break that down into three categories:
C.S. Lewis said, "The idea that 'being in love' is the only reason for remaining married really leaves no room for marriage as a contract or promise at all." And that is what marriage is.
He mentions what Chesterton pointed out (whoever he is), that those who are in love have a natural inclination to bind themselves to promises. And that would be okay, not that anyone would be expected to keep all of them ...but at least stay true to the one committed promise of marriage itself.
It's like all those love songs, "Baby, I want ..." or "Baby, I want to give ...". It may appear like the beginnings of a good 'give & take' relationship, but the excessive use of the word 'baby' makes me think there is some inclination to think we can mix an adult responsibility with the sense of a baby who has none.
It's like a child with a new friend or a new toy ...by sharing something for a time with someone you are either excited about the person or the event ...perhaps both. But, it could be that it's actually about you, as it pleases you to have what you want at that time. Yet, what happens when it no longer pleases you so much ...or it doesn't excite you as much?
I am not just picking on the entertainment industry ...songwriters, performers, or the movie business. I just think performances are not the fullness of life. And neither is setting our own standards with amassing a popularity as the standard principle.
Yet, the Bible clearly speaks of a condition that I believe is a big part of where we find ourselves today. It is from Isaiah 5:20:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Much of the world is bitter about the things that believers see as good ...and even more so when they feel they have an authority that is above all the cumulative knowledge of today. That authority is the Bible, and believers call it the Word of God. It is difficult to claim to follow anything without a precise description of what that is ...and to claim to follow God without following the Bible would appear to me to be absurd.
To follow God, you have to know Him ...to follow the enemy, you don't have to know it.
There is a battle going on, as C. S. Lewis describes it ...with many people giving the majority of the ground to emotion and imagination. The other side of the coin would be restraint ...and submission to God, not our emotions. Imagining is good mostly when we attempt to imagine how great God is ...and it is called glorifying Him, not our own sense of discovery.
And emotion is one of the greatest things God has given us ...but, not to wallow in it. Our emotions should bring us to the point of appreciating God more. Emotions are indications, not solutions.
One of the classic lines I've heard over and over again, is, "You just don't understand!"
There are times where we can focus so much on the solution that the person's perception of our sincerity is that we care less about the person than the problem ...but don't let this skew your own perception by thinking perhaps the other person doesn't have a point.
After emotions are shared, and the range of them considered ...it should never end without considering what God would have us do.
And don't minimize someone's input because you feel they are not experienced or have nothing to say on the subject.
I once worked with a girl in a Mental Institution who approached me with a problem of hearing voices. She was taking medication for this, but felt there was no improvement. Now, I don't know why she chose me to talk to ...and I don't know whether God had her become overwhelmed just at that moment, so she would be willing to talk. Perhaps she saw how together I was, and felt confident that I had all the answers ...no, that couldn't be it!! So, I think it was probably because we were all State employees ...and perhaps I was the only one at that moment paying attention to the actual job we were supposed to be doing.
Anyway, back to her problem of hearing voices. Now, I have never heard voices like that ...and I have never studied that condition, but she was asking me and i sincerely wanted to help.
The first thing I did, was admit that I had no expertise or experience with that. I then said that what I was going to tell her may not help, but I didn't think it would hurt ...and as she was saying, nothing else was helping.
I told her that the voices had likely developed a relationship with her, and though some people have said they have a friendly relationship with the voices, it was clear this was not the case with her.
I told her the voices had a sort of control over her, and that was something it would seem they preferred while she did not. And I said that it sounded sort of like a 'bully' voice. I suggested that she not respond to the voices, and pretend that she doesn't hear them. I warned her that the voices may temporarily get louder, as a bully would get if one suddenly stopped letting themselves be bullied ...but though I could not say whether the voices would go totally away, they would eventually likely get quieter and she'd be able to manage better.
Working for a State facility, I could not offer advice about praying to God ...nor that it could be a spiritual issue, not a medical one. I could not undermine the Doctor's treatment ...but I had other ways I felt everyone there knew I was a Christian, and perhaps they would figure for themselves where my source of freedom was from.
This is a case of me having no experience,yet she later told me it happened just as I had said. I saw how she was smiling as the weeks went by ...not tormented, and that made me very happy.
C.S. Lewis did not speak well of Sigmund Freud's knowledge on such subjects. Freud did not believe in analyzing what God would say, but that we should merely understand what we ourselves can understand, then attempt to meet the need. He felt that a society provided with the things it would otherwise be tempted by ...would be filled, and able to then move on without the thing continually occupying our thoughts.
Hard to believe, but some psychologists even today still believe that pornography is healthy. They say it satisfies the desires that may otherwise be acted out in real form outside the pages of any magazine. But the truth is, pornography acts like an addiction. Saying it suffices a person is like saying shooting heroin levels off someone's desire and leaves them satisfied. This is so inaccurate ...and what really happens is that it leaves the person desperate for more.
C.S. Lewis said, "We never find out the strength of evil impulses, until we try to fight them." And I will add, that we will not know if we could have had victory, unless we give it our best not to concede.
We must never forget that wisdom comes from God ...but we also can't remember what we never knew. Another thing C.S. Lewis said, "You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk."
A sober Christian understands a great deal more about good and evil, than anyone who is not sober. And 'sober' doesn't just have to do with abstaining from alcohol. There are many other things one can be 'under the influence of' or intoxicated with ...that will prevent us from being as clearheaded as we should be.
C. S. Lewis said, "Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
C. S. Lewis embraced Christianity after listening to arguments by his friend, J. R. R. Tolkien ...the year my Dad was born. And it doesn't matter to me whether his ideas are original, or from discussions with a friend. Wisdom comes from seeking out God. And virtue comes from valuing what He shows us.
C.S. Lewis shared four of the seven virtues, which he says are listed as 'cardinal' virtues. He says the word 'cardinal' comes from a Latin word meaning, 'the hinge of a door' ...because they are 'pivotal'.
- Fortitude ...is courage, not only to face danger, but to persist and endure with doing our obligation or what we committed to do, even when difficulty and conflict may arrive.
- Prudence ...is taking the time to think about what you are doing & likely what is going to come of it.
- Temperance ...is going the right length & no further.
- Justice ...includes honesty, truthfulness, 'give & take', honoring what is sincerely expected or agreed upon, and commitment to choices we make in good faith concerning others.
We all seem to value justice the most, and become outraged if we think the 'laws' of fairness have been violated against us ...but are we really for justice?
How can we say we are? We often argue and defend our right to be the opposite. We live in a society where relationships are not honoring, where life is conceived in an atmosphere demanding rights to abortion, and where we divorce ourselves from obligation, truth, and each other.
We go to counseling ...and we go through five or six therapists, until we find one that says what we want them to say. And sadly, they often are the ones with the most clients. If a therapist suggests the rough road to recovery, we don't want to hear it ...we just want someone to listen, making us feel we have justified our own emotions and corresponding actions.
We go to counseling mostly for relationship difficulties. I am going to break that down into three categories:
- Parent-child relationships
- Husband-wife relationships
- Our relationship with God
Our relationship with God influences our perspective on everything else. It is our focus, our motivation, our purpose. The number one reason people go to counseling is 'down moods' or depression.
- If you feel down ...sit down and read the Bible, with a correct motivation.
- If you feel ignored, read how special God says you are.
- If you don't like today ...look to the promise of eternity.
- If you feel used, allow yourself to be used of God.
The second reason people go to counseling is for marriage counseling ...but sadly, I believe much of that is looking for support for an abandoned effort. Often the full truth gives way for a flood of emotions.
C.S. Lewis said, "The idea that 'being in love' is the only reason for remaining married really leaves no room for marriage as a contract or promise at all." And that is what marriage is.
He mentions what Chesterton pointed out (whoever he is), that those who are in love have a natural inclination to bind themselves to promises. And that would be okay, not that anyone would be expected to keep all of them ...but at least stay true to the one committed promise of marriage itself.
It's like all those love songs, "Baby, I want ..." or "Baby, I want to give ...". It may appear like the beginnings of a good 'give & take' relationship, but the excessive use of the word 'baby' makes me think there is some inclination to think we can mix an adult responsibility with the sense of a baby who has none.
It's like a child with a new friend or a new toy ...by sharing something for a time with someone you are either excited about the person or the event ...perhaps both. But, it could be that it's actually about you, as it pleases you to have what you want at that time. Yet, what happens when it no longer pleases you so much ...or it doesn't excite you as much?
I am not just picking on the entertainment industry ...songwriters, performers, or the movie business. I just think performances are not the fullness of life. And neither is setting our own standards with amassing a popularity as the standard principle.
We live in a society where we have political lobbyists, and we are constantly seeking to form organizations to support our errant thinking.
Peer groups, friends, organizations, clubs ...it's good to have support systems.
But, support systems can be good and not so good. We should not form cliques to support selfish desires. Our main purpose should not be to divide ...we should unite with truth, but not if we value more of the unity than we do the truth.
There are just some things that are not healthy ...they may feel good, and even right at the time, but perhaps we are not seeing the full picture.
Perhaps we don't want to see the real picture. We want to be a painter ...and paint our own picture.
Perhaps we want to paint over an old picture that we no longer value.
Or perhaps we choose to stain it instead ...to have it bleed down below the surface.
How do we make sense of all this?
There are just some things that are not healthy ...they may feel good, and even right at the time, but perhaps we are not seeing the full picture.
Perhaps we don't want to see the real picture. We want to be a painter ...and paint our own picture.
Perhaps we want to paint over an old picture that we no longer value.
Or perhaps we choose to stain it instead ...to have it bleed down below the surface.
How do we make sense of all this?
- We choose each day what news to listen to, or watch.
- We choose what TV we watch.
- We choose, for the most part, what company we keep
- We choose how to begin our day, not by what happens around us, but by how we approach it
- We choose in the same way, how we end each day
- We choose how we view the past
- We choose how we view the future
This is all part of our support group. We support much of our life by our own choices. And I believe it would be best to make wise ones.
You don't go to the local bar for your Alcoholics Anonymous group.
And perhaps it's not wise to invite the fox to the hen house meeting.
What is wise, and what support can we then have?
I would think we should look first to the Bible for our support ...accept the stain that Jesus left, that does not mark us for life, but frees us for eternal life.
I've been told that the best therapy for someone who feels down, is to find someone else who is down and help them ...but don't help them complain. Help meet their needs, don't match their struggles.
If someone is mad, only tell them of your own struggles and grievances if your intent is to also share how you overcame them. If someone is in a pit, be careful how you lend a hand ...likely you'll need more than one person or perhaps a tow truck, or you may end up in the pit beside them.
If someone needs shelter, provide them shelter. If someone needs food, then feed them. If someone needs medical help, assist in arranging it.
If someone wants to talk, listen. But, also tell them about Jesus. If they say they know about Jesus ...then talk about your mutual Friend.
And perhaps it's not wise to invite the fox to the hen house meeting.
What is wise, and what support can we then have?
I would think we should look first to the Bible for our support ...accept the stain that Jesus left, that does not mark us for life, but frees us for eternal life.
I've been told that the best therapy for someone who feels down, is to find someone else who is down and help them ...but don't help them complain. Help meet their needs, don't match their struggles.
If someone is mad, only tell them of your own struggles and grievances if your intent is to also share how you overcame them. If someone is in a pit, be careful how you lend a hand ...likely you'll need more than one person or perhaps a tow truck, or you may end up in the pit beside them.
If someone needs shelter, provide them shelter. If someone needs food, then feed them. If someone needs medical help, assist in arranging it.
If someone wants to talk, listen. But, also tell them about Jesus. If they say they know about Jesus ...then talk about your mutual Friend.
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