Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Screwtape Letters

I received a collection of C.S. Lewis Classics for this past Christmas, and I started with the Screwtape Letters.  Today I read one that really struck home.

In Letter #13, Screwtape is lamenting that Wormwood has let his "patient" slip through his fingers.  But not to worry - the demons never give up...they fight for the patient's soul till the bitter end - because there is hope still for them to steal him away, as long as the patient does not act on these new feelings of grace that he has.  Screwtape end the letter thus:

"As one of the humans have said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened.  The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."

I can't count how many times I've been guilty of this!

Lord, help me to ACT upon the Graces you bestow upon me!