I have mentioned in one of my previous blogs that I love the C S Lewis Bible. His reflections on the scriptures are so insightful and can be life changing. Recently I came across his insight into Isaiah 55:6-7:
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
C S Lewes suggests that we should ‘distrust states of mind which turn our attention upon ourselves’. (Letter to Walter Hooper Nov 30, 1954).
What I can take from this is that we should neither look at our sins or at our virtues. We shouldn’t look at the past and let failures drag us down and tell us that we are unworthy. We should also not worry about the future. We can’t change the past or affect what is coming, but what we can do is focus on being the best we can be, filling ourselves with God’s love and friendship and sharing that with others.
The sun when it is right above us means we cast no shadow and I think that is such a great way of viewing how we should exist, looking neither backwards or forwards and living in the present. Lewis says that if we can do this, our spiritual shadow (consciousness of self) will vanish, and we will become nothing for God to fill.
It isn’t easy to do this. We have all made mistakes and cringe when we think of them even if we have repented. This isn’t healthy. It also isn’t healthy to consider ourselves perfect as we live in a world that makes perfection impossible. How often have you tried to help someone who is depressed and full of troubles with the root cause being a kind of self-obsession? It is difficult to show them how to escape from this.
Do read this passage and think about what it means to you, and help others to understand how your way of life can be changed through this way of thinking and being.
God bless,
Widows Mote 