What is a right? C. S. Lewis describes a right as being "a freedom guaranteed [him] by the laws of the society [he] lives in [and] a claim guaranteed me by the laws, and correlative to an obligation on someone else's part." One time, C. S. Lewis and a friend talked about what the meaning of the "right to happiness" means. He and his friend Clare talked about "Mr. A who deserted Mrs. A. and got a divorce in order to marry Mrs. B., who had likewise got her divorce in order to marry Mr. A." Though Mr. and Mrs. A and Mr. and Mrs. B had made wedding vows "till death do us part," that seemed not to matter because as Mrs. B said "life with him was no longer what she had bargained for."
God has been showing me how important it is to keep my word. One of the biggest ways friends hurt me are when their words do not follow through with their actions. When Mr. A. got divorced in order to marry Mrs. B., thus leading Mrs. A. and Mr. B. to marry also, so many vows and words were forgotten. If one is willing to break their marriage vows and send them out the window in order for happiness, then there is so much more that one can be capable of breaking. Marriage is supposed to be a beautiful picture of Christ and the church. How are these four humans different than all of us...how are they different than me? "Well," I might say, "I am not married." Yes, that is a literal difference but in everyday life, do I hear myself say "Because of such and such, I deserve this."
I am very good at justifying my actions. I did this over Christmas break a lot. Studying hard for finals wears out the brain and makes one long for just the simpleness of being bored. I let this desire become a right and furthermore, become selfish. When I was reading, I never thought that maybe I should help my mom with dinner. When I had spent all morning with friends and desided to spend the rest of the afternoon with another, I didn't comprehend that instead I should take my little sister, who I barely talked to all day, sledding. I felt like I deserved and had a right to what I wanted. How wickedly selfish that is. What a great reminder of the need for the beautiful grace God gives. I must learn from my mistakes. "What shall we say, then? Shall we go in sinning so that grace may increase?" (Romans 6:1) NO! May we all be men and woman of God who stay true to our purpose in life and keep running the race and finish strong. Our Heavenly Father does not want us to be slaves to our selfishness or to any sin for that matter but rather wants us to live under grace. He wants us to see our sin, repent of it, and be set free from its bondage. God alone knows my heart and He knows that I needed to be reminded of this.
Kendra, I agree with you completly. I found myself doing the same thing over Christmas break. I felt that it was my vacation so I should feel free to sleep in, and be a couch potato. When really my parents could have used my help , and my sister was studying for her semester tests for high school and needed me to help her. I think that we often find ourselves getting lost in thinking that we deserve or have a right to certain things because that is what our culture has gotten caught up in. Everything is about instant gratification for anything. You make a good salary well then you have a right to a huge house and an expensive car. When really that money should be given to your church, or to a homeless man who has not eaten for a few days. I think we make it convinent for ourselves to "forget" to live like Christ desires us to by telling ourselves we have a right to do what we please.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a theme for everyone I think. We so often make excuses for things that are really not that hard. Your honesty is so refreshing. Its nice to have someone tell it like it is. I also liked how you added the scripture at the end. So many people think that, because they have sinned so much already they might as well continue, but I think that its important to recognize that this is a daily battle that we will be fighting the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your personal story so well. It's amazing how much the excuse of, "I'm on break and I just studied a whole week away for exams" carries. Looking back on it, it is quite depressing how much I could have been a help as oppose to a lump on the couch. This was a fantastic connection to something other than our sexual desire, it really helped me see a possibly deeper picture Lewis was trying to draw. Great work!
ReplyDeleteKendra,I think you make a good point question "How are these four humans different than all of us...how are they different than me?" Even though we call ourselves Christians, we are just as capable of sinning and being selfish as any other person on the street. Just as your concluding sentences say, though, there is comfort in knowing we are still loved by God.
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