Mysteriously Moved

In addition to this day being Thanksgiving and the 55th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, it is also the 55th anniversary of the death of one of my favorite writers, C.S. Lewis. Lewis died without much memorial fanfair in the shadow of a horrific American tragedy. Yet he is beloved and venerated by so many. He is the author of some of my most favorite books: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicle of Narnia, to name a few.

Recently, I have been listening to an audio biography about Lewis. About two days ago I came to the part where Lewis talks about his conversion to Christianity. He was a vocal atheist calling Christianity a "myth." He was introduced to Christianity slowly through the planting of many seeds by people around him, but it was a late night walk with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson on Sept. 20, 1931, that pretty much sealed the deal. They talked of all manor of subjects way past midnight, spending a good bit of time on Christianity. Lewis wrote to a friend after that stroll on Addison's Walk at Oxford University that he was "mysteriously moved" by the idea of God "sacrificing himself to himself."

There was something about that statement that made me stop, rewind and listen again. This is not new information for me by any means, but the phrasing was sweetly simplistic and accurate. The idea of God in heaven being worshiped by countless sacrifices over thousands of years - which never fully atoned for His creation's disobedience - then coming to the conclusion that He must sacrifice Himself on our behalves is overwhelming. An all encompassing sacrifice so that we would never again need to atone: Christ has done it all. Of course, such a revelation would be profound for Lewis. As a result of this realization (and his acceptance of Christ into his life nine days later), we are the grateful recipients of some of the best books of the last century and some profound theology. Praise God for the persistence of Lewis' friends and God's unwavering patience for his lost children.

This is why I never give up praying for and sharing the Good  News of Jesus Christ through words and love to the people in my life who have not accepted Him as Savior. While it can seem a daunting task when it seems God's mercy is falling on deaf ears, hearing about stories like Lewis' is inspirational and encouraging. We can strive on in hope that those we love will one day be "mysteriously moved" by something which brings them to a point of reverence, repentance and acceptance. The end result is so worth it and changes the world time and time again.

I excitedly await the time those on my prayer list come to the realization that our Awesome God, who sacrificed Himself to Himself, loves them that much. What a day of rejoicing that will be. Just as the very day C.S. Lewis walked through the gates of Heaven to meet face-to-face the God who persistently pursued him. Glory to Him!