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Thursday, August 04, 2005
I've been reading this landmark book with my youngest daughter, and have enjoyed it more as an adult than I did in college. The letters from the head demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood seem to take on a new brilliance with each reading. Anyway, here's a section that stood out recently:
Of course, I know tha the Enemy also wants to detach men from themselves, but in a different way. Remember always, that He really likes the little vermin, and sets an absurd value on the distinctnes of every one of them. When He talks of their losing their selves, He only means abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever. Hence, while He is delighted to see them sacrificing even their innocent wills to His, He hates to see them drifting away from their own nature for any other reason. And we should always encourage them to do so. The deepest likings and impulses of any man are the raw material, the starting-point, with which the Enemy has furnished him. To get away from those is therefore a point gained..."
I've found that most of the time a teenager has fears of giving their life to Christ, it's because they fear "losing themselves" or becoming somebody completely different. How do you think this quote would help them, if at all? What are some practical applications you can draw from this reality?
Brent 4:54 AM
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