This chapter is a our relationships with other people, especially close friends and relatives. I have found this especially true in the circumstance of young adult moving back in with the parents, or even being home for a holiday break. All of a sudden, everything bugs you, especially when it is done by your parents.
Who has not experienced something similar to what Lewis describes here?
"In civilized life domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things which would appear quite harmless on paper (the words are not offensive) but in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in the face... Your patient must demand that all of his utterances are to be taken at their face value and judged simply on their actual words, while at the same time judging all his mother's utterances with the fullest and most oversensitive interpretation of the tone and the context of the suspected intention." (17-18)
Lewis hits this so perfectly on the head in my opinion that I can hardly think of anything to add. This is a very easy trap to get into, especially with parents and those people who we spend a lot of time around. We must be careful to make sure that we see the splint in our own eye.
We must also make a thorough self-examination, and honestly look at our lives and the way that we are living. We do not want to fall into the trap that Lewis explains:
"Aggravate that most useful human characteristic, the horror and neglect of the obvious. You must bring him to a condition in which he can practice self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office." (16)
If we are going to grow and improve as people, we must be able to honestly assess our faults. Spend some time in prayer and contemplation on this. If we don't know what areas we struggle, we will be unable to grow in them.
Do these things apply to your life?
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