CS Lewis asked this very question when his wife died — but rather than abandon his faith, he wrote a book.
What he discovered changed his entire understanding of God, human nature, and the problem of pain…
Lewis had been a Christian for over 20 years, but the death of his wife rocked his faith
He wondered — how can God possibly be good if I suffer like this?
A Grief Observed is the book he wrote to work through the agony provoked by that question
Lewis writes:
“No one told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness...
I dread the moments the house is empty”
Worse, Lewis then adds that he’s tempted by evil…
He continues:
"I'm not in danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is coming to believe such dreadful things about Him.
The conclusion I dread is not 'There is no God,' but rather, 'So this is what God's really like' "
Despair is the real threat, not sadness
The danger of despair is that it destroys your soul
Despair isn’t sadness — it’s a declaration of terror:
Life is not good. It is irredeemable suffering. Abandon all hope
This was the voice that nearly destroyed Lewis — so how did he escape?
Lewis fought despair with lamentation:
His writing was a reflection into the dread, anger, and agonies of his soul
He didn’t numb his pain with hedonism. Nor did he repress his feelings
He simply screamed them to God himself
This almost sounds heretical — accusing God of injustice
But lamentation is curative
Only by staring into the pains of your soul can you relieve them
Only by acknowledging your anger can you release it
Lewis’ accusations were not a rebellion — they were a cry for help
In the end, Lewis wrote that his suffering wizened him:
“My faith was a house of cards. God’s only way of making me realize this was to knock it down”
This very suffering led Lewis to his genius conclusion…
“The greater the love, the greater the grief.”
This is Lewis’ answer to the problem of pain
He realized he grieved his wife deeply because he loved her deeply
In other words, the price of love is heartbreak — but it’s a price worth paying…
It’s impossible to understand love without suffering
For example, loving your family will eventually lead to heartbreak — everyone you love will die
But it’s better to grieve than to have never loved at all
To live fully, you must have the courage to suffer in the name of love
Such was the case for Lewis
His suffering ultimately deepened his faith, and helped him see the goodness of life itself
Suffering may break your body — but if you find the courage to love, then it can glorify your soul
Lewis realized the key to life is not to avoid suffering, but to understand it as a prerequisite of love
The goal then, is to have the courage to love.
The deeper you love, the deeper you’ll hurt — but the stronger your soul
If you enjoyed this and want to dive deeper...
1) Follow & RT this thread
2) Join me and @SeanBerube4 tomorrow for an in-depth discussion of C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed
Replay is available if you can’t join us live!
PS — Did you know Lewis helped J.R.R. Tolkien finish Lord of the Rings?
Tolkien wrote:
“Only by his support and friendship did I ever struggle to the end of the labour.”
Join my email list INVICTUS now to get the full story when it drops tomorrow 👇👇
How can a good God let you suffer and die?
CS Lewis asked this very question when his wife died — but rather than abandon his faith, he wrote a book.
What he discovered changed his entire understanding of God, human nature, and the problem of pain…Lewis had been a Christian for over 20 years, but the death of his wife rocked his faith
He wondered — how can God possibly be good if I suffer like this?
A Grief Observed is the book he wrote to work through the agony provoked by that questionLewis writes:
“No one told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness...
I dread the moments the house is empty”
Worse, Lewis then adds that he’s tempted by evil…He continues:
"I'm not in danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is coming to believe such dreadful things about Him.
The conclusion I dread is not 'There is no God,' but rather, 'So this is what God's really like' "
Despair is the real threat, not sadnessThe danger of despair is that it destroys your soul
Despair isn’t sadness — it’s a declaration of terror:
Life is not good. It is irredeemable suffering. Abandon all hope
This was the voice that nearly destroyed Lewis — so how did he escape?Lewis fought despair with lamentation:
His writing was a reflection into the dread, anger, and agonies of his soul
He didn’t numb his pain with hedonism. Nor did he repress his feelings
He simply screamed them to God himselfThis almost sounds heretical — accusing God of injustice
But lamentation is curative
Only by staring into the pains of your soul can you relieve them
Only by acknowledging your anger can you release itLewis’ accusations were not a rebellion — they were a cry for help
In the end, Lewis wrote that his suffering wizened him:
“My faith was a house of cards. God’s only way of making me realize this was to knock it down”
This very suffering led Lewis to his genius conclusion…“The greater the love, the greater the grief.”
This is Lewis’ answer to the problem of pain
He realized he grieved his wife deeply because he loved her deeply
In other words, the price of love is heartbreak — but it’s a price worth paying…It’s impossible to understand love without suffering
For example, loving your family will eventually lead to heartbreak — everyone you love will die
But it’s better to grieve than to have never loved at all
To live fully, you must have the courage to suffer in the name of loveSuch was the case for Lewis
His suffering ultimately deepened his faith, and helped him see the goodness of life itself
Suffering may break your body — but if you find the courage to love, then it can glorify your soulLewis realized the key to life is not to avoid suffering, but to understand it as a prerequisite of love
The goal then, is to have the courage to love.
The deeper you love, the deeper you’ll hurt — but the stronger your soulIf you enjoyed this and want to dive deeper...
1) Follow & RT this thread
2) Join me and @SeanBerube4 tomorrow for an in-depth discussion of C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed
Replay is available if you can’t join us live!PS — Did you know Lewis helped J.R.R. Tolkien finish Lord of the Rings?
Tolkien wrote:
“Only by his support and friendship did I ever struggle to the end of the labour.”
Join my email list INVICTUS now to get the full story when it drops tomorrow 👇👇
yes
How can a good God let you suffer and die?
CS Lewis asked this very question when his wife died — but rather than abandon his faith, he wrote a book.
What he discovered changed his entire understanding of God, human nature, and the problem of pain… ... Lewis had been a Christian for over 20 years, but the death of his wife rocked his faith
He wondered — how can God possibly be good if I suffer like this?
A Grief Observed is the book he wrote to work through the agony provoked by that question ... Lewis writes:
“No one told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness...
I dread the moments the house is empty”
Worse, Lewis then adds that he’s tempted by evil… ... He continues:
"I'm not in danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is coming to believe such dreadful things about Him.
The conclusion I dread is not 'There is no God,' but rather, 'So this is what God's really like' "
Despair is the real threat, not sadness ... The danger of despair is that it destroys your soul
Despair isn’t sadness — it’s a declaration of terror:
Life is not good. It is irredeemable suffering. Abandon all hope
This was the voice that nearly destroyed Lewis — so how did he escape? ... Lewis fought despair with lamentation:
His writing was a reflection into the dread, anger, and agonies of his soul
He didn’t numb his pain with hedonism. Nor did he repress his feelings
He simply screamed them to God himself ... This almost sounds heretical — accusing God of injustice
But lamentation is curative
Only by staring into the pains of your soul can you relieve them
Only by acknowledging your anger can you release it ... Lewis’ accusations were not a rebellion — they were a cry for help
In the end, Lewis wrote that his suffering wizened him:
“My faith was a house of cards. God’s only way of making me realize this was to knock it down”
This very suffering led Lewis to his genius conclusion… ... “The greater the love, the greater the grief.”
This is Lewis’ answer to the problem of pain
He realized he grieved his wife deeply because he loved her deeply
In other words, the price of love is heartbreak — but it’s a price worth paying… ... It’s impossible to understand love without suffering
For example, loving your family will eventually lead to heartbreak — everyone you love will die
But it’s better to grieve than to have never loved at all
To live fully, you must have the courage to suffer in the name of love ... Such was the case for Lewis
His suffering ultimately deepened his faith, and helped him see the goodness of life itself
Suffering may break your body — but if you find the courage to love, then it can glorify your soul ... Lewis realized the key to life is not to avoid suffering, but to understand it as a prerequisite of love
The goal then, is to have the courage to love.
The deeper you love, the deeper you’ll hurt — but the stronger your soul ... If you enjoyed this and want to dive deeper...
1) Follow & RT this thread
2) Join me and @SeanBerube4 tomorrow for an in-depth discussion of C.S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed
Replay is available if you can’t join us live! ... PS — Did you know Lewis helped J.R.R. Tolkien finish Lord of the Rings?
Tolkien wrote:
“Only by his support and friendship did I ever struggle to the end of the labour.”
Join my email list INVICTUS now to get the full story when it drops tomorrow
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