The story of CS Lewis and poet, Joy Davidman, “Shadowlands” has been told in film and on stage. The film version summary is far different than the stage play. The film reckons the pain we feel in old age is payment for the good times we had in our youth. The stage play maintains that the pain we feel in life is God chipping away at us.
Well God is chipping away at me.
Excuses ruin authentic apology, and I only get one chance at that, because with all subsequent regrets, the voracity of my remorse is suspect. In short, people have a difficult time trusting my vacillating word.
I’m highly excitable, and when on a subject for which I have great feeling, my passion is a bane, self control becomes abated and there is emotional debris. The fruit of the Spirit is sullied, tremendous shame follows and it’s at that point I understand my spiritual condition. What is lost? Well, I lose once vibrant relationships, I lose self respect, and lose a measure of communication with my Creator.
But pain is a wound healer that obliterates the frivolous and does the deep spiritual cleaning that is so needed.
Now for the Good News.
God lifts me to safety, comforts me in all of my struggles, compassionately gives me overflowing hope and won’t ever leave me. This is the Christmas story, a message of redemption, forgiveness and promise from God’s heart to ours, through the Holy Spirit and accomplished by a baby in a manger who is Christ the Lord, Emmanuel…God with us.
Merry Christmas!
The Human Wave 