I’m a big C.S. Lewis fan, whether his fiction or his nonfiction. He had an amazing way of taking deep concepts and sprinkling them with imagination. From the world of Narnia to the wit of The Screwtape Letters to the poignant wording of deep truths in Mere Christianity, he had a way of squeezing creativity out of almost every ink dot.
Anyway, I read a beautiful quote from him yesterday, from his book, The Weight of Glory:
“At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get in.”
Isn’t that beautiful? Can’t you see it? Hear it? The anticipation peeling into the present, into our hearts, for something just beyond what our eyes can see. It’s kind of like my perception when I first wake up in the morning before I put on my glasses or contacts. A blurry view of familiar surroundings. Things I can recognize, but not clearly. A certain item of clothing I think I’ve chosen, upon closer examination isn’t what I thought. Almost…but not quite.
We live just outside the door of eternity. We can hear echoes of it in creation – through birdsong, a ba
by’s laughter, a thunderstorm, and myriad other experiences, but our vision cannot take it in on this side of the world.
We’re longing for the perfect peace. Aslan’s country. Heaven.
And all creation eagerly waiting along with us.
Like a magical looking glass or an ancient wardrobe, our hearts wait with an anticipation we can’t always define, sometimes forget, but something our souls long for.
We know there’s something better just “beyond” us.
An untainted rightness, a pure goodness, an unblemished beauty, a generous richness, an unbridled future – and we know, this ‘other place’ will answer the wordless longings. At our cores, we try to satisfy ourselves with this world and these broken pieces of eternity as best we can, but God has promised something greater…something that satisfies to the soul.
An inexhaustible hope and a magnificent answer to every longing.
The view through these “heavenward glasses” is how we push through when life is difficult. It’s how we find out focus and purpose. It’s what grounds our earthly choices because our perspective isn’t finite, or spoiled, or fixed on our empty hands.
It’s focused on the One who has the power to get us through the door.
The One who holds our hearts, dreams, and eternal lives, waits to usher us into a kingdom where all the broken pieces will be mended, the blurry scene made clear, and the upside-down perspectives set right.
Reblogged this on robinsnest212 – stories by design and commented:
“At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get in.”
thank you, Pepper, for a beautiful post
Isn’t that quote AMAZING???
Beautiful post!
Thanks, Winnie!!
Thanks, Pepper. That was a great quote and post.
Pepper, thank you for this encouraging post!