Courage. Sympathy. Love.

A little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.

-C. S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

Courage. Sympathy, Love.

I ran across this C.S. Lewis quote not long ago and it started me thinking.

In a way, the first phrase reminds me of the Malcolm Gladwell book "Blink," which I recommend. There's such a thing as too much information in decision-making.

The second phrase is like the Cowardly Lion in the "Wizard of Oz." What made him move was his sympathy with other characters, not, as he says he lacks, courage.

And that "tincture" of the love of God? The good news is that this tincture - and so much more - is given to everyone.

People, like cats, often ignore the obvious

We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God.

-C.S. Lewis

Our family cats ignore us much of the time. Cats are like that.

C.S. Lewis

I suspect they know we provide food, water, shelter and the like, but simply choose to ignore us because unless they happen to be hungry or thirsty, we aren't worth their time.

However, they cannot evade us forever. We control what they eat, their comfort and their water supply. If need be, we can pick them up and move them. It might take some effort, but we can eventually win out. And if nothing else, we're present in their lives most of the time.

People and God, it seems, are like that, too. We're famous for ignoring God. We get busy on doing something else and turn away. We set some priorities that exclude paying attention to God.

But, like the cats and the owners, we can't evade God. His presence is there, whether we pay attention or not.

Watch out for that easy road

The safest road to hell is a gradual one. This is safe road has a gentle slope, without turns, without milestones, without signposts, without warnings.

-C.S. Lewis

First and foremost: I am not a theologian.

Neither, by the way, was C.S. Lewis.

However, that aside, and no matter what you or yours think about hell, his quote carries a lot of meaning in life in general. How much in life leads to bad results by a supposed easy path?

We roll along, perhaps not paying close attention to certain diet, exercise, smoking or other choices we make. Things seem to be going over life's paths that appear to be safe, without warnings.

You know what can happen. A stroke can come at young, old or in between, without warning.

A different road - more thinking through diet selections, deciding how to exercise, making conscious choices about smoking - seems harder. Not necessarily perfect, but at least considered. And with better possible outcomes. Not guaranteed, but more likely.

Again, I'm not here to debate the existence or characteristics of hell. But just be careful what road your life is taking. It might make a difference here on earth.

'Will become perfect'

Last Friday, people in the United States and around the world marked the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of President John Kennedy.

Another great figure died the exact same day - great Christian apologist C.S. Lewis.

Recently, I received an email from The Ranch with this great C.S. Lewis quote:

Those who put themselves in His hands will become perfect, as He is perfect - perfect in love, wisdom, joy, beauty, health, and immortality. The change will not be completed in this life, for death is an important part of the treatment. How far the change will have gone before death in any particular Christian is uncertain.

As a stroke survivor, I'm damaged goods in this imperfect body. Indeed, you can't find any perfect human being. Not on this side of the great divide. But as Lewis reminded his readers, perfection awaits all who accept it.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Dog ears and C.S. Lewis

Tess is a mutt – a combination, I think, of every possible type of dog you can imagine. Blessed with a generally good disposition, she is not terribly smart, even for a dog. Not long ago, Tess became clearly distressed by itching ears. She clawed and scratched and pushed the side of her head across the carpet. So I held Tess still as my wife squirted some medication into the dog’s ears. Tess was not pleased.

And that made me think of C.S. Lewis.

His book “The Problem of Pain” gives us an analogy of the care of a dog and God’s care of us all. A good pet owner doesn’t let the dog merely follow its natural impulses. Instead, the owner washes it, house-trains it and teaches it to behave. While that’s happening, the dog might question the “goodness” of the owner, Lewis wrote. But after it’s all finished, the dog is introduced to a world of affection, loyalty and – my favorite part of Lewis’ analogy – “comforts entirely beyond its animal destiny ….”

Comforts entirely beyond its animal destiny. Those are comforts that the struggling puppy cannot even conceive. Yet the comforts are real and available.

Lewis, who had his own share of personal pain, wasn’t trying to dismiss human suffering or tribulation. He wasn’t suggesting that people are really like dogs. What he did suggest: Submitting to God’s care was not automatic or easy in his 1940 era, and it is certainly no easier now.

Was my stroke part of God's care? I'm not a big believer of coincidences or random events – so yes, I believe so. To what end? That will be unknown until I see the day that Lewis described: Comforts entirely beyond my own animal destiny.