The Danger of Goodness

Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger — according to the way you react to it." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


Have you ever been in a life situation where life "couldn't be going better", where everything is going swimmingly, or at least so you think?  Let me ask you something.  At such a time, how was your relationship with Christ?


There was a period in my life where I was "successful" by every measure the world has. I was making piles of money, had a pretty girlfriend, and lots of friends.  And how was my relationship with Christ? It was probably the time in my life where I was the lowest spiritually.

We all want to live the "good life", yet there is a serious danger in too much goodness. When everything is going well, we tend not to "pick up our crosses daily"; we tend to become arrogant and / or lethargic about spiritual matters. As Zig Ziglar said, "Success makes failures out of too many people."   


I am not saying revel in misery.  Yes, continue to try and live the good life.  Never, ever forget, however, that the success of every endeavor is from the Lord and that if life is good, it will only stay good as long as we react properly -- with thanksgiving to a God who gives us good gifts.  


All is a gift from Him...

Holiness Is Not Dull...It is Irresistible

"How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing...it is irresistible." C.S. Lewis, Letters To An American Lady

I saw a friend recently whom I  have not seen in close to seven years.  Ed is the pastor of a church I used to attend and we used to have tremendous discussions.  He helped me tremendously during a very difficult time in my life.

When I saw Ed this time, I was struck by the fact that it did not seem like he had aged a day. Even though he must be in his mid-fifties, he could easily pass for being ten years younger. Ed is also just a pleasure to be around.  He listens well and has a warm laugh.  Life just seems...richer when Ed is around.  In Ed's case, he is among the most "holy" people I know.

The point is that "holy" people are anything but boring. Holy people people are warm...they listen well... they are just as much about you as themselves...they are honest...and generally, there is a gleam in their eye.  They laugh easily because they have few cares.  At the same time when life turns deadly serious, there is no one whom you would rather have in your corner.

Becoming holy is hard work.  It often involves the smelting pot of life to remove the impurities from our lives.  Becoming holy always involves dying to self so that the Christ can be evident.  Yet, life becomes richer as we become more holy.

Whatever the case, never believe that holy people are dull; holy people are irresistible.  We need more holy people. 

Can you think of people in your life whom you consider holy but who are completely irresistible?       

We Meet No Ordinary People

“We meet no ordinary people in our lives.” C.S. Lewis

There are, by best estimates, currently approximately seven billion people in the world. Each person is unique; each person has a purpose; each person extraordinary. We always must watch ourselves when we begin to believe someone is ordinary. There is not a soul that exists for whom God did not sacrifice His son. Everyone has worth, not based on their abilities, intelligence, beauty, or any other reason other than the fact that each of us is made in the image of God and because God values us. We have value because He deems that we are valuable. If we are valuable to our Creator, then we are valuable indeed. Whenever we begin to doubt someone's worth, we must always remember their worth to God. 

Now, I am not going to say that it is always easy to see the image of God in someone. Sometimes it is buried under rudeness or greed or pride or just plain badness. Nevertheless, even "bad" people are not ordinary. There is someone reading this who is wondering what their value is. Life has been full of disappointment and you wonder if God has abandoned you. My friend, I have been where you are at. I would just encourage you to hang on; life will get better. In the meantime, as difficult as it is, hang on to the truth that you have value, that God has a purpose for you, and that you are far from ordinary. 

Let's all renew our attitude toward each other and treat everyone as if they are extraordinary because each one is.

There Is One Vice Of Which No Man In The World Is Free

“There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit….” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Of all sins, pride is the most dangerous.  It was the first sin, but it is also a source of almost every sin because sin, at its heart, is the belief that, “we know best.”  And pride is such a tough thing to battle; it pokes its head up everywhere.  The moment we think we have it beat, the simple fact that we think we have it beat becomes a source of pride.

It is so easy to spot pride in someone else, isn’t it?  Yet, it can be difficult to see when we are prideful.  It is Satan’s main weapon and he does everything he can to mask it in our lives.

The opposite of pride is humility.  Humility does not mean thinking poorly of ourselves. Rather, it is not thinking about ourselves at all.

Easier said than done, right?  We must be constantly vigilant to fight this dreadful cancer. And we should be people who extend grace to people who are battling the disease of pride.   

"It Is Not Your Business To Succeed..."

"It is not your business to succeed, but to do right. When you have done so the rest lies with God."  C.S. Lewis

Too often we are overly goal oriented. What I mean by that is that our society lauds setting goals and doing everything we can to reach those goals.  The is fine except for one very important aspect; namely, we too often forget that our success is not dependent on our effort.  Our only part in the equation is the willingness to do the “next right thing.”  The success of any endeavor is dependent on God.

Do not misunderstand me, it is important to have goals.  We must never believe, however, that we have any control over achieving success.  “Every good and perfect gift comes down from above…”  James 1:17.  God is the source of all that is good in our lives, of every success.

God is just as interested in the process as the result.  If you are anything like me, we focus too much on getting there, rather than enjoying the journey.  Enjoying the journey is such a key to our Christian lives. When we are not so focused on the goal, we are able to be more fully present in this hour, we are able to see better all that we have to be thankful for, and we eliminate so many of our anxieties.

Let’s stop striving so hard toward goals, commit to living in the present, and trust that God will bring about success.  

"Why Love If Losing Hurts So Much?"

"Why love if losing hurts so much?  We love to know that we are not alone."  C.S. Lewis


When we love, we become vulnerable.  We can badly hurt by those who love us, either by things they do to us, by divorce, by rejection, by abuse, or even by death.  It can hurt so bad that we begin to wonder if we should love at all, if we should really leave ourselves so vulnerable.  We are tempted to withdraw and want to live in a cocoon.  We genuinely question whether Tennyson was right when he wrote, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."


Well, Tennyson was right.  Yes, loving people leaves us open to great hurts.  Yet, the alternative is worst. The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference or irrelevance.  There is no greater pain than the feeling of being completely alone.   If you have been hurt by someone whom you have loved deeply, do not give in to the temptation to withdraw.  In the long run, it will be even more painful.  


And, to put a spiritual spin on this, I am going to commit blasphemy and say that C.S. Lewis is not quite right.  We do not only love to know that we are not alone.  The real reason that we love is because God has loved us.  We are able to love and to be vulnerable because we have the faith that He loves us, we are never truly alone, and ultimately He will heal every hurt and dry every tear.

On Forgiveness

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.  This is hard.  It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single person great injury.  But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life -- to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son -- how can we do it?  Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say our prayers each night "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us."  We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse is to refuse God's mercy for ourselves."  C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, "On Forgiveness"

Forgiveness is not always easy.  In fact, forgiveness can at times be among the hardest things as Christians we are called to do.  When we have been hurt deeply or repeatedly, it can be next to impossible to forgive.  How do you forgive the person who has abused you?  How do you forgive the spouse who cheated on you?  How do you forgive the person who stole from you?

In this quote, C.S. Lewis says that the key is keeping in mind the consequences if we do not forgive.  God will not forgive us if we do not forgive someone else.  And why should He?  He offers us a priceless gift.  No matter who you are, you have been forgiven much. It is true that some of us have been forgiven more than others, yet, we all have been forgiven the unpardonable; namely, we all have been forgiven for turning our back on our Creator.  Accordingly, if we refuse to forgive others we are rejecting God's mercy that has been freely given to us.

God does not "command" us to forgive because He is masochistic and because He wants us to do the impossible.  The opposite of forgiveness is bitterness and bitterness eats at your soul. The person who refuses to forgive destroys their own soul.  God wants us to forgive others because He knows it is impossible for us to lead healthy lives without forgiving.

There is no magic bullet to be able to forgive easily. However, the person who refuses to forgive has not readily accepted how much God has forgiven them.  God will always give you the strength to forgive if you willingly ask for help.

Let's be people who are quick to forgive and extend grace to those in our lives.