Reflections on Trusting God

I mentioned C.S. Lewis in my last blog and I laughed at myself; how interesting that I selected a quote from him today.


Reflection “I know the words ‘leave it to God’ can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies. In Christian language, He will share His ‘sonship’ with us, will make us, like Himself, ‘Sons of God.’ And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you. I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a county where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke. Everyone there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the Source from which it comes. But this is near the stage where the road passes over the rim of our world.” C S Lewis-Mere Christianity

Lewis puts so much into his words and I look back at his life before he made his commitment to be in a relationship with Jesus. He questioned; he denied Jesus for some time; he did not want to believe, but like many of us, desired to be a good person. Thank you Lord for the conversations he had with his colleagues - specifically, JR Tolkien. These conversations allow him to contemplate, ask and finally, make a decision that he too desired this relationship that so many people shared about - becoming a Christian is so much more, as he mentioned above, than just "following rules" but a relationship that, in my words, is so cool!

We all have moments, some more than others, to live our life as a "good person." I like to pay the toll for the person behind me, make sure an older lady can cross the street safely, let a person with less items than me go first in line at the checkout. While all is well and good, the line I italicized above is so much more than just doing good for others. For me, although my intentions are well and good, to be in a relationship with Jesus takes me further than just smiling at someone who is looking quite stressed. Whatever I can do physically, spiritually, financially, taking it to prayer first, I want and desire to go beyond just "adding points." That glimpse of Heaven to me is wanting to pray for that person who looks stressed, actually asking the woman how she's doing as I walk her across the street, pray for the person that is crossing the bridge and forward it continues. I can't imagine what Heaven is going to look like, but I can catch a very small glimpse of what Christ's face looks like as I do acts of service for the good of His kingdom and I know my face will glow when I enter those gates. I am so excited just to be in the presence of the Holy one, the One who causes my heart to flutter every time I think of doing more than just "good" in the world and not just because it will "get me into Heaven." Maybe, just maybe, that act of service I am able to do, not for myself and self gratification, but for that other person, may they see the joy and love I have for my Jesus and possibly - they'll see just a glimpse of Heaven also.

Bless you my friend, 'chele