lonely people and more...
this quote came at the end of yesterday's post (from Surprised by Joy):
"It is no doubt for my own good that I have been so generally prevented from leading it, for it is a life almost entirely selfish. Selfish, not self-centered: for in such a life my mind would be directed toward a thousand things, not one of which is myself. The distinction is not unimportant. One of the happiest men and most pleasant companions I have ever known was intensely selfish. On the other hand I have known people capable of real sacrifice whose lives were nevertheless a misery to themselves and to others, because self-concern and self-pity filled all their thoughts. Either condition will destroy the soul in the end."
I have been recently asking how someone who is so self-less (i.e. gives a lot of their time and material things) could feel so lonely... Lewis answers that question in these few sentences. I have known many such a person in my lifetime. I never quite know how to approach them. I feel that they need my energy and attention, but when I face them I see a black hole and abyss such that I stand far far away - so I don't get caught falling down into the swirling nothingness. Reading this helps me to understand them a little better... but how do I love them, Lord? It's difficult, because in some ways they are already so much like Jesus (i.e. giving of themselves). On the other hand, they are so self-absorbed, they can't fully see Jesus! Help me Lord, to turn them to You. Thank You, Father, that you love them beyond what they ask and imagine, and are exactly what they have been looking for for their entire lives.
"The one principle of hell is - 'I am my own.'" George MacDonald
"Where is your focus - how to survive the brokenness through the loopholes? Don't accept the lower standard is just the way it's going to be. Enter into Christ's story!"
"The closer you let someone in, the more they are able to shape your self-esteem."
~Rev. David Bisgrove, Marriage and Discipleship on July 16, 2006
"It is no doubt for my own good that I have been so generally prevented from leading it, for it is a life almost entirely selfish. Selfish, not self-centered: for in such a life my mind would be directed toward a thousand things, not one of which is myself. The distinction is not unimportant. One of the happiest men and most pleasant companions I have ever known was intensely selfish. On the other hand I have known people capable of real sacrifice whose lives were nevertheless a misery to themselves and to others, because self-concern and self-pity filled all their thoughts. Either condition will destroy the soul in the end."
I have been recently asking how someone who is so self-less (i.e. gives a lot of their time and material things) could feel so lonely... Lewis answers that question in these few sentences. I have known many such a person in my lifetime. I never quite know how to approach them. I feel that they need my energy and attention, but when I face them I see a black hole and abyss such that I stand far far away - so I don't get caught falling down into the swirling nothingness. Reading this helps me to understand them a little better... but how do I love them, Lord? It's difficult, because in some ways they are already so much like Jesus (i.e. giving of themselves). On the other hand, they are so self-absorbed, they can't fully see Jesus! Help me Lord, to turn them to You. Thank You, Father, that you love them beyond what they ask and imagine, and are exactly what they have been looking for for their entire lives.
"The one principle of hell is - 'I am my own.'" George MacDonald
"Where is your focus - how to survive the brokenness through the loopholes? Don't accept the lower standard is just the way it's going to be. Enter into Christ's story!"
"The closer you let someone in, the more they are able to shape your self-esteem."
~Rev. David Bisgrove, Marriage and Discipleship on July 16, 2006
posted by Where? Who? How? at
4:36 AM
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