Can I just say I thought I was pretty witty with the title of this blog? It came to me in a burst of inspiration as I sat in my Honrs 303 Literature class on Tuesday. So as a part of my class I will be writing on this blog once a week in order to record my thoughts and musings as we read through a majority of the works by C.S. Lewis. For me this class is an exciting adventure because I haven't had very much exposure to C.S. Lewis. I've seen the movies, but I have never actually read any of his written works.
This week we were responsible for reading The Screwtape Letters. First off, can I just say that C.S. Lewis is an amazing writer. Even though there have been huge amounts of reading it has been a completely enjoyable experience. Every time I read something by C.S. Lewis I walk away a better person, more aware of God’s love for me. Even though C.S. Lewis is not a Mormon author, every time I open his books it has felt as if I’m opening an issue of the Ensign.
The Screwtape Letters are a series of letter (shocker!) written from the perspective of an older devil to his young nephew and apprentice. It is a satirical work but has many important values and morals that we can learn through reading it. My favorite passage was that from letter 8, which was more or less about the law of undulation. It spoke of the ups and downs that every person experiences in life, that of peaks and troughs. While the novel was generally talking about spiritual ups and downs, because of recent personal experiences I interpreted it to mean the ups and downs of a persons emotional well-being. This is one of my favorite things about the written word, meanings and truths found in books change based on the audience. Anyways, I loved this part of the book because it reminded me that everyone goes through pain and hardships, but it’s that we choose to continue to put our faith in God and move on with life that really matters.
One other thing I really found inspiring was our discussion on love. It’s easy as a college student to feel lonely and unlovable. C.S. Lewis gives us a strong reminder that God truly loves each and everyone of us. We are each replica’s of God and He has chosen to inhabit the world with us. Another thing I enjoyed was the idea that God has created a world where we are all united under Christ, but each one of us is still a unique son or daughter of a Heavenly Father. Personally this stood out to me because in the past couple of weeks I feel like I have forgotten who I am as an individual and who I am working on becoming. Sometimes we (as human beings) get so caught up in being with other people and relying on someone else that we lose our own personal identity. I was glad for the reminder that God wants me to be a distinct person, separate but still united with others.
For some reason I feel the need to bear my testimony. I know that God is on my side of this battle against the devil. Heavenly Father wants me to succeed, and I know that as I strive to become more Christlike and develop my discipleship more fully that Heavenly Father will bless me far beyond my ability to comprehend. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to attend BYU because it allows me to aline every facet of my life with the Gospel, including my academic studies. And for me, that truly is a blessing.
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