Monday, May 25, 2009

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Who would not be attracted by the title of this book?

Very recently, I had read the Great Divorce (by C.S. Lewis) again. I took it as my bed time snack before I sleep. After reading one or two chapters it always make me hard to sleep and force me to think about "consequence." In my point of view it is about "back fire" of your daily life in your flash and bone would gradually becomes after you have a chance to "visit" the gate of "Heaven" (I quote the word Heaven and cap it because the Heaven I talk about is not the idea of heaven on earth) and a counsel with the citizen of "Heaven". What you grape here would becomes a obstruction of every goodness that you might have "a chance" to have. So does the Scripture have mentioned

順 著 情 慾 撒 種 的 , 必 從 情 慾 收 敗 壞 ; 順 著 聖 靈 撒 種 的 , 必 從 聖 靈 收 永 生 。(加拉太書6:??)

This talks everything.

Story is about a group of folks gathering to a bus to leave a place called "Gray Town" (a.k.a. Hell ) . The narrator is found to be one of them without any warning or sign. These mob arrive to a foothill of high mountain with beautiful tree and astonishingly spacious grasslands before the dawn. Clamorously step off the bus the narrator found that everything in the destination is too solid for he to sustain; then realized that he is the ghost and so as the whole mob. Every grasses, even dews on the grass is so heavy that impact themselves with enormous pain. The story follows to a group of fellows described as "Bright Spirit" fly from the end of skyline and assigned to each ghost to counsel them. Each Bright Spirit are more or less relevant to each ghost. Then, a possibility of the turning point for each ghost start from here. What's in the past almost determines what they will choose individually. However, the earnest effort from those Bright Spirits still try to make it work with their (for both, ghost and Bright Spirit) last chance.

Sadly only one fellow took off his past and step into what every human being longing for centuries. Lewis described the only person got saved is due to cut himself and himself from the past completely and the rest disappear because the hold on to the past. The past all depends on the choice the subject made....

The key is would you be able to sustain the consequence of your choice under the assumption of no "payment deferred" or would you be able to make a "correct" choice for yourself under the full-constructed free will of yourself. These will determine your assets of inner life which can be measured by how you sustain the "reality" when you arrive the foothill of "Heaven". What you had made? What compose you? That would be the real "You". It remains me what Jesus taught us

你的財寶在那裡,你的心也在那裡。眼睛就是身上的燈;你的眼睛若瞭亮,全身就光明。你的眼睛若昏花,全身就黑暗;你裡頭的光若黑暗了,那黑暗是何等大呢!(馬太6:21-23)

But whenever you could be honest to yourself you will be on the right track.

他們的心幾時歸向主,帕子就幾時除去了。 (林後3:16)
我們的心怎樣,我們的為人也就怎樣。(箴四23。)

You will never in suffering if you truly turn to Jesus. Because Jesus indicates in the sermon of the Mount

清心的人有福了,因為他們必得見神。(太5:8)

More than this

神實在恩待以色列那些清心的人 (詩73:1)

What could you do about yourself? Feed your inner person (人的靈是耶和華的燈,鑒察人的心腹。箴二十:27). I think you should know how to feed your inner person ( follow Holy Spirit who inhabit inside you). Save yourself from the vain because the vain could perish yourself with a very subtle way. You would be a fool if you still keep yourself whole...

This is my prayer:

I would rather get into pieces by your kindness than remain whole while waiting for your wrath.


Then, the Divorce (from yourself) is what we all could have and it should be Great!