Thursday, November 17, 2005
Your Daily C.S. Lewis
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. "
-[I can't find a source]
This is one of the hardest things for me to do as a Christian. It's so easy for me to fall prey to thinking "this thing seems good, and it's not a big thing; why shouldn't I have it?" Am I really willing to trust God? I'd like to have a meaningful job where I can really help people, a loving and fun marriage, to raise a family, and to be seen as a good Christian and true believer by those around me so that they'll seek after God. That said, I'm at least theoretically willing to give up any of those things if God wants them. However, how easy is it to say "Lord, I will remain single for the rest of my life" or "Father, I'm willing to work in this place even though it's not even close to being my dream job" when faced with a devastatingly attractive girl or the job opportunity of a lifetime? Do I really trust that, assuming God's will for me is marriage, that he'll provide a good wife for me if I forgo the chance to date a solid Christian girl I know? Do I really trust that God will use me and keep me encouraged in my task, whether it's what my own imperfect reasoning would desire or not?
It is continually humbling to realize how often you fail short of your ideals. That doesn't mean that those ideals shouldn't be pursued, but it's good to know where you stand.
"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. "
-[I can't find a source]
This is one of the hardest things for me to do as a Christian. It's so easy for me to fall prey to thinking "this thing seems good, and it's not a big thing; why shouldn't I have it?" Am I really willing to trust God? I'd like to have a meaningful job where I can really help people, a loving and fun marriage, to raise a family, and to be seen as a good Christian and true believer by those around me so that they'll seek after God. That said, I'm at least theoretically willing to give up any of those things if God wants them. However, how easy is it to say "Lord, I will remain single for the rest of my life" or "Father, I'm willing to work in this place even though it's not even close to being my dream job" when faced with a devastatingly attractive girl or the job opportunity of a lifetime? Do I really trust that, assuming God's will for me is marriage, that he'll provide a good wife for me if I forgo the chance to date a solid Christian girl I know? Do I really trust that God will use me and keep me encouraged in my task, whether it's what my own imperfect reasoning would desire or not?
It is continually humbling to realize how often you fail short of your ideals. That doesn't mean that those ideals shouldn't be pursued, but it's good to know where you stand.
