Pam's Perambulation

Letter XIV comes to the subject of humility.

“You must therefore conceal from the patient the true end of Humility.  Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness but a a certain kind of opinion (namely, a low opinion) of his own talents and character.  Some talents, I gather, he really has.  Fix in his mind the idea that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes them to be.”

“… By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever ment trying to believe they are fools.”

Indeed the dictionary cites humility as “having a modest opinion of ones own importance, rank, etc.”

Not particularly helpful I don’t think.  Yes we are not to go around bigging ourselves up, but humility is not so much about denying our skills and worth, but recognising the skills and worth that others have to offer to.  Working out how best they work together.  Humility should not be self deprecating, but looking for the good in others and empowering them.

For Screwtape goes on:

“He (The Enemy) wants each man, in the long run, to be able to recognise all creatures (even himself) as glorious and excellent things.”

And reminds us,

“…when they have fully learned to love their neighbours as themselves, they will be allowed to love themselves.”

Love of neighbour and love of self go hand in hand.  If we are busy loathing ourselves, it will be difficult to like anybody or anything.  If we can love ourselves – because after all God loves us – then it will be so much easier to love our neighbour.  If we are at ease with ourselves and all that makes us up, we will have space for others and what they bring.  A proper awareness of ourselves allows us to find our place in God’s world, and frees us to liberate others to find theirs.

I’ve ‘taken up’ C S Lewis for Lent.

They’re a couple of books that I found when we moved, and thought ‘I must have another read of those one day’.  Well in an effort to do something productive during Lent, ‘one day’ has come.

I’m starting with The Screwtape Letters (first published 1942, I’m reading a reprint from 1977 – though this is a third impression from 1982!).  It must be about 25 years since I read it – and a lot of water has passed under this bridge since then.

Screwtape is writing to Wormwood.  Screwtape is a senior demon.  He is advising his nephew, Wormwood, a more junior demon, how to tempt ‘the Patient’ away from ‘The Enemy’ – ie God.  So it’s an appropriate theme for the beginning of Lent.  I’ll share just some of my random thoughts as I work my way through it – hoping they might spark some thought.  Feel free to comment!

~ by pamjw on February 24, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: C S Lewis, humility, The Screwtape Letters