I'm currently feeling sorry for myself, because I had a terrible allergic reaction to the antibiotic I'm on for a sinus infection. As I sit here pitying myself, I feel ashamed, knowing how blessed I am and how petty I'm being.
I most recently read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. I sat down and read it in one sitting, in about 3 hours. I'm not bragging -- I'm just trying to tell you that so often "religious novels" seem daunting and hard to finish to me. But this, fictional, tale had so many truths woven in.
The main lesson it taught me is you can't hang on to earth or its harmful pleasures if you want Heaven and Jesus.
It reminded me of something my pastor recently said at church. He said "Christians want to have their cake and eat it too" when it comes to Heaven -- they don't want to give up their earthly sins and lifestyle, but they want the rewards and eternal happiness of Heaven too.
I don't know about you, but lately my Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest home page, even national news websites have been full of people that are SOOOO INCREDIBLY, CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT IT, EXCITED about their new "diet plan" or "healthy lifestyle" or "weight loss shake," etc.
I read these posts and think, "WHAT IF EVERYONE GOT THAT EXCITED ABOUT JESUS AND ETERNAL LIFE?"
We have something so much larger (no pun intended) to be excited about.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge advocate of living a healthy lifestyle -- but there are much greater things, including eternal life, than looking like a Victoria's Secret swimsuit model.
Unfortunately, I think too often trying to change our appearance becomes an 'unhealthy obsession' instead of a 'healthy life change.'
Oh how easy it is to get caught up in this. Trapped in worldly body image nightmares and struggles with how I look led me to a battle with an eating disorder last year. I can personally sympathize with worldly pressures put on appearance. I write that in case anyone reading has felt the way I once did.
But from an eternal perspective, how we look is irrelevant, and what is in our hearts is what matters.
Rather than give a lengthy review, I'd rather have you pick up the book and read it for yourself. I have it and would be absolutely thrilled if you asked to borrow it from me -- I'll even drop it off at your house for you! That's how much I want you to read this book.
Here are five of my favorite quotes, and boy was it hard to only choose five.
“And yet all loneliness, angers, hatreds, envies, and itchings that it contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt by the least in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all. Bad cannot succeed even in being bad as truly as good is good.”
“I believe, to be sure, that any man who reaches Heaven will find that what he abandoned (even in plucking out his right eye) has not been lost: that the kernel of what he was really seeking even in his most depraved wishes will be there, beyond expectation, waiting for him in 'the High Countries'.”
“If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell (or even earth.)"
“Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?”
"I wish I had never been born," she said. "What are we born for?" "For infinite happiness," said the Spirit. "You can step out into it at any moment...”
Those are only 5 short quotes from a short book that can make an eternal difference for you. This would be a great introduction to reading Lewis, if you haven't in the past, because it's short and 'fiction.'
Most of Lewis' books are nonfiction, which I also love but I know can be daunting or unappealing to people who are new believers or non-believers. Lewis says himself in the prologue -- this is just a fictional tale with eternal lessons.
Whether or not you believe in Heaven and Hell, you're missing out if you don't take a couple hours to read The Great Divorce.
It's at Barnes and Noble, so you can pick up a caramel frappucino with whipped cream while you're there (or whatever your fave is.) Have a maaah-velous Saturday night! Talk to you soon.
xo,
Emily
