Learning in wartime
Lewis says, “Life has never been normal,” starting off his discussion in a Christian’s life during wartime. Through out his writing, he gave us several principles to learn. One of the primary principles Lewis spoke about was a Christian’s responsibility to act as Christ would in all areas of life. When I heard this point I thought of the lyrics, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” Some have the instant reaction to seclude themselves from the world in fear that they will fail to uphold Christian values. Also, some have an instant reaction to ignore this principle because it’s too difficult, so why try anyway? Lewis, however, combats these excuses by explaining that we have the duty and obligation in our lives to push our faith and learning in Christ. There is no “free pass” from entering the world, we must face it by putting on the armor of guard, holding the Word of God in our hearts, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us.
Lewis says this specifically in these words: We are supposed to “participate in this war. And every duty is a religious duty, and our obligation to perform every duty is therefore absolute.” To apply this principle to life at Calvin, students have specific duties and obligations for this phase of life. First: entertainment! This is the first time in many students lives where what they choose to pour into their minds is uncensored by their parents. Now, I am not suggesting that most students dive off the deep end and watch X rated films, but they listen to explicit music, they watch more R rated movies than ever before, and they go to the occasional under-age drinking party. How are any of these things glorifying to God? Simply, they are not. Yes, some will say, “I’m doing research on pop-culture.” But, most of us (YES, me too!) allow this garbage into our minds (which by the way NEVER leaves our minds) because every one else is doing it. Shame on me for giving into to trends! I have not guarded my heart and my mind as I should!
I like your assessment of Lewis' sentimentality that we must act as Christ in all areas of life. That is a difficult if not impossible task to complete. However we can make an attempt. As long as we attempt to imitate Christ in every way we can we shall glorify God and help reduce the impact of evil on this earth
ReplyDeleteGreat post! What you said about guarding our minds from the worldly influences around us reminded me of Proverbs 4:23, which reminds us why it is so important to do so: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."
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