Friday, March 11, 2011

Lessons From Mere Christianity: Heaven

This is a post from my series called Lessons From Mere Christianity.

Hopefully, our biggest goal is to have eternal life with God in Heaven. This is a broad goal, and yet a goal that would not be more specific. CS Lewis offers some insight on the road there.

Some people may see heaven as a far off notion, something to be worried about later. Life on earth is busy enough, who has time to worry about heaven? Of course, it should come as no surprise that our priorities should be the exact opposite.

"If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next." (134)

Lewis says that we have become enamored about success in this world, and if that is our focus, ultimately we get neither heaven nor the joy that earth can provide.

"Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither." (134)

Many of us seem to go through our lives always searching for the next big thing, or believing that the next thing, next idea, new job, new relationship, etc. would make us happy. But ultimately, we will continue to find that nothing in this world will make us perfectly happy, that will always be that little extra we are searching for.

If you do not feel completely fulfilled in this life, there is nothing wrong with you. There is a reason you feel this way.


"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." (136)

Of course, one of the easiest ways to get bogged down in this life is to constantly compare ourselves to others, to judge others, and constantly focus our mind and attention on the things of this world. But when we come face to face with God, certainly none of that will matter one bit.

"If there is a God, you are, in a sense, alone with Him. You cannot put Him off with speculations about your next door neighbors or memories of what you have read in books. What will all that matter and hearsay count (will you even be able to remember it?) when the anaesthetic fog which we call 'nature' or 'the real world' fades away and the Presence in which you have always stood becomes palpable, immediate, and unavoidable?" (217)

Are you focused on Heaven?

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