Hey, everyone--I finally read The Screwtape Letters (thanks to my wonderful friend, Amelia, and her free e-book link--I'll share it here), and now I'm going to write my basic general thoughts on it (because everyone in the world cares about my opinion on something written almost a hundred years ago, right?).
If anyone else wants to read this book, I can say that I highly recommend it. I've always loved C.S. Lewis' style of writing--it's intelligent (no joke, I just misspelled the word "intelligent." How's that for ironic?), an insightful view of human nature, gently humorous, and uplifting.
For those of you who haven't heard of it, the premise of the book is this: Screwtape, a highly ranked devil, is writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is an underdevil in charge of tempting a man in England probably around the 1920's (they refer to "The European War," which I assumed meant World War I). The letters detail basic strategies that Screwtape has employed to tempt people under his care in the past and chronicle "the patient's" progress and reaction to these temptations that are employed by Wormwood and his uncle.
For starters, this is a book that requires concentration--it's highly religious, as well as intellectually written, and I'd like to read it again a bit more slowly when I get the chance (I kind of blew through it in a couple of days, in between juggling kids, laundry, and piano lessons). The fact that it is written from the viewpoint of a devil who refers to God as "Our Enemy" and Satan as "Our Father" threw me off once or twice when I wasn't paying enough attention, I'll be honest. But still, I was struck by the truths taught by C.S. Lewis.
A few of the things I took away from this book, in no particular order:
One of Satan's greatest tools is distraction. It's amazing how strongly C.S. Lewis hit this nail on the head nearly a century ago, before many of the most distracting parts of our current technology were ever even conceived, and yet, he writes quite strongly of this basic principle: when people are distracted by unimportant things, they have no room for the important things. Finding out how to discern between that, for me, has been a goal of this last week, and it has been interesting if not humbling and thought-provoking for me to note how many distractions I allow to take my time and energy away from what I claim are my priorities: namely, my relationship with my Heavenly Father, my family, and my friends (I'm looking at you, Candy Crush).
Interesting to think about.
Another truth that struck me right between the eyes: "People ask all sorts of questions when they read something...one of the most basic, and most important, that they usually forget to ask is this: 'Is it true?'"
(Again, I'm paraphrasing here--basically, I'm too lazy to look up the actual quote, but you can get the gist of it, at least, as well as the powerful tool it teaches)
As a person who enjoys reading, who comes across varied articles, blog posts, and status updates in my quest for knowledge, entertainment, or distraction on a daily basis, I have often been troubled, intrigued, or disturbed by things I have read. Usually, I dissect what I read and try to take what good I can out of it while attempting to dismiss the bad, all while deciding exactly where I feel my own heart lies on the topic (it can be anything from politics to immunizations), but sometimes I find myself feeling uneasy about something I have read days or even weeks later, and I hate that feeling--being haunted by thoughts that were never mine in the first place, but that have been placed there by someone else's words brought to me through a computer screen.
One thing that I rarely, if ever, asked myself before reading this book, was the simple question he prescribes: "Is it true?" That question is something I believe can be answered through genuine introspection as well as a desire to feel the Spirit's confirmation.
Something I have learned through my own experiences--our Heavenly Father wants us to find out truth, and He is not only willing but eager to confirm truth when it is found, so long as we are close enough to Him to feel that confirmation (and pending the fact that we are willing to follow what that truth tells us). I don't know why I never thought to apply this truth to my Internet browsing before, but I'm grateful to have this tool now.
Lastly (before I close this self-servingly introspective blog post...for those of you who have made it thus far, thanks for the loyalty), I was once again struck by how many of the things I consider of vital importance really make very little difference in the eternal scheme of things. I stress about things like my messy floors, what so-and-so said about me at the potluck, or the never-ending mound of laundry, but when it boils down to it: those things aren't really all that important, and most certainly aren't worth losing my temper over.
Just a few things to think about.
Again, if anyone wants that link, message me. You won't regret reading this book, and I'm grateful I got the opportunity.
If anyone else wants to read this book, I can say that I highly recommend it. I've always loved C.S. Lewis' style of writing--it's intelligent (no joke, I just misspelled the word "intelligent." How's that for ironic?), an insightful view of human nature, gently humorous, and uplifting.
For those of you who haven't heard of it, the premise of the book is this: Screwtape, a highly ranked devil, is writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is an underdevil in charge of tempting a man in England probably around the 1920's (they refer to "The European War," which I assumed meant World War I). The letters detail basic strategies that Screwtape has employed to tempt people under his care in the past and chronicle "the patient's" progress and reaction to these temptations that are employed by Wormwood and his uncle.
For starters, this is a book that requires concentration--it's highly religious, as well as intellectually written, and I'd like to read it again a bit more slowly when I get the chance (I kind of blew through it in a couple of days, in between juggling kids, laundry, and piano lessons). The fact that it is written from the viewpoint of a devil who refers to God as "Our Enemy" and Satan as "Our Father" threw me off once or twice when I wasn't paying enough attention, I'll be honest. But still, I was struck by the truths taught by C.S. Lewis.
A few of the things I took away from this book, in no particular order:
One of Satan's greatest tools is distraction. It's amazing how strongly C.S. Lewis hit this nail on the head nearly a century ago, before many of the most distracting parts of our current technology were ever even conceived, and yet, he writes quite strongly of this basic principle: when people are distracted by unimportant things, they have no room for the important things. Finding out how to discern between that, for me, has been a goal of this last week, and it has been interesting if not humbling and thought-provoking for me to note how many distractions I allow to take my time and energy away from what I claim are my priorities: namely, my relationship with my Heavenly Father, my family, and my friends (I'm looking at you, Candy Crush).
Interesting to think about.
Another truth that struck me right between the eyes: "People ask all sorts of questions when they read something...one of the most basic, and most important, that they usually forget to ask is this: 'Is it true?'"
(Again, I'm paraphrasing here--basically, I'm too lazy to look up the actual quote, but you can get the gist of it, at least, as well as the powerful tool it teaches)
As a person who enjoys reading, who comes across varied articles, blog posts, and status updates in my quest for knowledge, entertainment, or distraction on a daily basis, I have often been troubled, intrigued, or disturbed by things I have read. Usually, I dissect what I read and try to take what good I can out of it while attempting to dismiss the bad, all while deciding exactly where I feel my own heart lies on the topic (it can be anything from politics to immunizations), but sometimes I find myself feeling uneasy about something I have read days or even weeks later, and I hate that feeling--being haunted by thoughts that were never mine in the first place, but that have been placed there by someone else's words brought to me through a computer screen.
One thing that I rarely, if ever, asked myself before reading this book, was the simple question he prescribes: "Is it true?" That question is something I believe can be answered through genuine introspection as well as a desire to feel the Spirit's confirmation.
Something I have learned through my own experiences--our Heavenly Father wants us to find out truth, and He is not only willing but eager to confirm truth when it is found, so long as we are close enough to Him to feel that confirmation (and pending the fact that we are willing to follow what that truth tells us). I don't know why I never thought to apply this truth to my Internet browsing before, but I'm grateful to have this tool now.
Lastly (before I close this self-servingly introspective blog post...for those of you who have made it thus far, thanks for the loyalty), I was once again struck by how many of the things I consider of vital importance really make very little difference in the eternal scheme of things. I stress about things like my messy floors, what so-and-so said about me at the potluck, or the never-ending mound of laundry, but when it boils down to it: those things aren't really all that important, and most certainly aren't worth losing my temper over.
Just a few things to think about.
Again, if anyone wants that link, message me. You won't regret reading this book, and I'm grateful I got the opportunity.
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