I'm resending this because there was evidently a problem with the sending
of it earlier, and you got only the first couple of lines...however, it all got
published on the blog site, so you can go there if this one doesn't
publish properly. (Nita)
This week I'd like to make an attempt at answering the comment made this week by one of you about "hedonism." It was about Screwtape's observation about God: "He's a hedonist at heart." (Thank you, Anonymous, for the definition!)
I alluded to the topic of pleasure in an earlier chapter but I feel it bears repeating because of our tendency to see Him as austere and hard to live with, constantly disappointed in everything and everyone. If you read the context of this comment by Screwtape, you'll see a side of God's nature that isn't often focused on: His joyful and pleasurable heart and His delight in His children's pleasure, simply for the sake of enjoyment. Screwtape groans as he says of God, "He has filled His world full of pleasures. There are things for humans to do all day long without His minding in the least - sleeping, washing, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working..." He goes on to say that pleasure is only advantageous to the evil forces when they are twisted; i.e., when they take the place of God in human affections.
While the work ethic that we are trained in has some good points, it has been exalted to the point of practically eliminating any enjoyment of simple pleasures purely for the joy of the moment. Consequently, most of us Americans don't know how to receive freely and genuinely enjoy the gifts He pours out extravagantly on us daily simply for our enjoyment. We are losing our ability to pause our activity and not have to be doing something "productive" always. As Henri Nouwen so beautifully puts it: "The problem of modern living is that we are too busy...to notice that we are being blessed."
If it's true that the living God is a God at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psa. 16:11) and One who wants us to know Him in this respect, then the Psalmist's well-known words in Psa. 46:10 make a lot of sense: "Be still (at leisure), and know that I am God..." Perhaps one of the ways that we really know Him is by cultivating the inner capacity to freely receive His love and gifts without any striving on our part. It's learning, by His grace, to live fully in the present, and the regular practicing of His presence is a key way to expand the heart's capacity for Him and His gifts.
Holy Spirit, breathe on us even now Your love and desire for Jesus...empower us to pause and consider that He is present with us right now, and in this, open our hearts to greater capacity to receive and enjoy Him and the pleasures that are at His right hand. Thank You that You hear our prayer and that You desire good things for Your children!
Questions for this week's reading (chapters 25-28):
1. Early in chapter 26, Screwtape makes an intriguing comment: "The grand problem is that of 'unselfishness'. Note...the admirable work of our Philological Arm in substituting the negative unselfishness for the Enemy's positive Charity. Thanks to this you can teach a man to surrender benefits, not that others may be happy in having them but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them..." Can you think of ways in which you have made choices that have more to do with your trying to be unselfish than with whether or not others are happy with what you have chosen? (Note the example Screwtape gives further into the chapter about "having tea in the garden.")
2. In the first part of chapter 27, Lewis makes some wonderful observations about prayer. What do you understand that he's trying to communicate about prayer through Screwtape?
3. Chapter 28 is full of great insights into worldliness. What are things about humans that Screwtape informs Wormwood about in order to help him draw his "patient" into worldliness before he dies?
Have a blessed week in the Lord!
Nita,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response to an earlier readers comments regarding hedonism.
Your comments were very meaningful to me. They made my day and touched my heart.
I was intrigued by a comment Lewis made in chapter 26 where he compares men and women in how they try to act unselfishly. I’ve never thought of it this way; I think he’s got something figured out. The way I understand it is: Women take on other people’s troubles – they try to ease what others are bearing by doing good things to help (which to men can seem to be meddling in other peoples business). Men, on the other hand, don’t want to make trouble for others; they want to respect others rights (which seems to women like they aren’t willing to help or get involved and that they are selfish). Is that what Lewis is trying to say?
ReplyDeleteSusan, I had the same understanding of Lewis' observation of the difference between how men and women handle needs...there's a lot of truth to that, isn't there? I think his point is made, which is that if we are focused subjectively on "being unselfish" instead of objectively asking what would be the most loving approach to the need from the other person's perspective, we default to the natural inclinations of how to respond to needs that we see. There are times when the loving action is to stay out of the situation (the man's tendency) and times when love is to get involved (the woman's tendency). It's a lifelong learning to discern, isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to share something personal that didn't come from Screwtape, but does tie to this discussion - at least a little.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got married, I remember so clearly the remarks of the minister. They were: You show each other your love by kind words and kind deeds and that was followed by a message about how hurtful words can be...like bullets, once fired they do damage - while you can heal, a scar is left, so be careful what comes out of your mouth. However, I was thinking that sometimes men and women don't interpret the kind deeds in the same way, similiar to Lewis' interpretation of the differences in handling needs but...if we choose to see the other person as doing a loving deed, we do interpret their actions and perspective in a way that is more aligned with ours and easier to understand...When we look for the good we find it and when we're grousy, we see it as a negative. You're right Laura, it is a lifelong learning....