A Different Perspective

Perhaps one of the best things about being out of school for the summer is the time available for leisure reading. It is something I have missed a great deal. Even though I’ve missed it, I still have to practice self-discipline to choose to fill my free time with reading instead of television or countless, useless hours of internet. A few days ago, I picked up my copy of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, and I realized that I hadn’t finished it. Now, this book is a difficult read. Not in the sense of the vocabulary used or the complexity of the things discussed, but it is difficult because I have trouble thinking in the “backwards” way that Lewis writes there. “Enemy” does not normally refer to God, and “Our Father” is not terminology I use to talk about Satan. It’s an interesting read, but a little crazy at first.

This morning, I was reading a little more of it, and I ran across a description of humility that I had never seen nor thought about before. Lewis writes, “...thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools…The Enemy [here, referring to God] wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another. The Enemy [again, referring to God] wants him, in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favour that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbor’s talents—or in a sunrise, an elephant, or a waterfall.”

What a concept! I think commonplace "Christianity" portrays humility in a very poor light. The world sees humility as this horribly awful, self-loathing concept. Quite the contrary! Humility is beautiful. Humility was personified in Jesus! God has given me talents. When I use those talents to do great things (or, more often than not, just average things), that’s wonderful. In fact, it brings Him glory. It is my job to take any praise or admiration that I receive from said talents and lavish those things on Christ. When those around me use their talents to do great things, I should be just as quick to acknowledge God for His goodness in equipping that individual with such talents, skills, and ability.