Tuesday, July 12, 2005

On falling and dirt

Well, I've been reading The Screwtape Letters. And as I was reading last night, I realized that C.S. Lewis had something incredibly profound to say.

In one chapter, Lewis is talking about a fundamental human condition. We, as humans, tend to stick to a pattern. As Lewis puts it, we undulate. We our emotions and motivations have peaks and troughs and everything in between.

It is in the peaks that life seems easiest. But real life and real growth happens in the troughs.

I am a Christian. But I've have never been able to understand how God can still love me after I sin. Lewis finally explained it in a way I could understand...

In our peaks, God is helping us much more than we know. But, there comes a time when God must take a step back and let us walk on our own. Those are the troughs in our lives.

When we sin, we stumble. We trip and fall. As humans, all we see in those moments is the dirt right in front of our face and all over us. But that's the trick. God isn't looking at the dirt, God's looking at the fact that we took a step.

God loves us after we sin just like a father. If my brother saw his infant daughter stand up, take a step, and fall to the ground, he wouldn't be angry with her. He would be thrilled that she finally took just one step.

It's not that God loves us in spite of the fall. It's that He loves us for just trying to walk and be obedient.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

true and even more. he sees all the dirt inside and out and loves you just as you are. just because. in the words of a song, from his point of view, you are dark but lovely. in fact, he delights in you.

Anonymous said...

amen

r.fuel said...

Thanks, Joe.

r.fuel said...
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