So I have been reading the book “The Great
Divorce” by C.S. Lewis. While reading I found this quote. Something in it
made me really stop and think. The premise is that a man is one a visitation
to Heaven. While there he talks with the various people who are in Heaven. This
conversation took place between him and a Scottish man who he called
“Teacher.”
“They say of some temporal suffering, ‘no future bliss
can make up for it’, not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work
backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure
they say ‘let me but have this and I’ll take the consequences’: little
dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and
contaminate the pleasure of the sin. Both processes begin even before
death.”
What I got out of it is, its all a matter of
perspective. Even in agonies, knowing it is in the God’s plan, can be turned or
viewed in the light of God’s glory. In the same respect, if you refuse to give
up even one small sin, knowing it is a sin and being willing to take the
consequences, this damnation will move back into your life. The thought that
was interesting was that, in the book, it said: Life is what you make it, Heaven
or Hell, but whatever you make it will correlate with your time after this
life.
I had a hard time putting it into words. But here is another
view on it directly from the book. This is in the introduction written by C.S.
Lewis:
“If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not
see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the
smallest most intimate souvenirs of Hell. I believe, to be sure, that any man
who reaches Heave will find that what he abandoned (even in plucking out his
right eye) was precisely nothing: that the level of what he was really seeking
even in his most depraved wishes will be there, beyond expectation, waiting for
him in ‘The High Countries'”
I would love to hear your opinions on this quote, or even
the book for that matter. I will probably read the book again, there was so
much stuff in it that was so wonderful and thought provoking. Thanks for your
time. I will be praying for you!
