Screwtape Letters

Recently I have been reading the C.S. Lewis books (because he is ridiculously amazing). I started reading The Screwtape Letters yesterday and so far it has been such a great book. It's by far nothing like I have ever read.


For those that have not read it- It is a book of letters that Screwtape, an experienced devil, is writing to his nephew, Wormwood. Screwtape gives advice to his new devil nephew on the human race and their enemy which of coarse is God. It is full of fascinating and somewhat true statements of how we think and act. 


While reading it, I came across a passage that really spoke to me:


The human race was in a stage of war at this point in the novel and Wormwood is trying to secure the damnation of young man. He is trying to find the best way but Screwtape gives him very interesting advice. Screwtape writes that " The Enemy's human partisans have all been plenty told by Him that suffering is an essential part of what He calls Redemption; so that a faith which is destroyed by a war or a pestilence cannot really have been worth the trouble of destroying."


That passage literally blew me away. Even devils recognize that a faith that wavers during hard times or war, is a faith that is worthless to them. It is worthless because they really don't have any faith in God. They know that faith truly demonstrates itself when a person stands strong and holds Christ's hand even tighter during troubled periods instead of running away. 


How fascinating is that? :)


I know that this novel is completely fiction and C.S. Lewis really didn't have a conversation with devils but I think it holds so much truth to it. Faith in Christ is such a beautiful thing but I think it's even more spectacular to see someone going through the hardest of times and still having that faith. That's exactly what faith is to me and I believe that is the kind of faith that God desires from us. He desperately wants that unwavering faith that says "OK hard times- bring it on cause I have God on my side." :) That is what countless verses in the bible say and I know He desires that from all of us.


Is it extremely difficult to have that kind of faith? Yes. Do I have that faith yet? Um.. of coarse not. I still doubt God in times of trouble but that kinda of faith is my prayer to have. It will be so uplifting to finally have that. I wish that when times of trouble came my way, I did stand by God but that hasn't always been the case. When my father left my family, when my cousin committed suicide, when I lost my closest friend last semester, when I had no clue where I was going, when I was attacked on a Christian campus for who God made me, and there literally a billion other examples of times when I didn't have that kind of faith. 


But I want that. I want the devils and everybody to know that when hard times come, I will stand strong in His image. 


I want Screwtape to tell his nephew to stay away from me because they know where my heart truly is. 


(Anybody that has not read C.S Lewis really should dive into them. They are wonderful and I plan on reading all of mine (which is about six or seven) by the end of the year...just a personal goal :) His mind is amazing and completely captivates Christ.)