Pondering

I am a very big C.S. Lewis fan.  I didn't really discover how amazing he was until about two years and and 9 months ago. Browsing through some of his quotes today a couple stuck out. Here they are:

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."


"Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us. We  'have all we want' is a terrible saying when 'all' does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St. Augustine says somewhere, 'God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full---there's nowhere for Him to put it.' Or as a friend of mine said, 'We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it's there for emergencies but he hopes he'll never have to use it.' Now God, who has made us. knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as He leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call 'our own life' remains agreeable we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interest but make 'our own life' less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?"

~~from The Problem With Pain

I'm not sure exactly why, but these quotes really hit home today. Yes, "my own life" is less agreeable than it was, and yes I am using the parachute and have been desperately for a few years now. I wonder when I will land on safe ground?