C.S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom: Meditations on Faith, Life, Love and Literature

First published in 2018 by HarperCollinsPublishers

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FIRST EDITION

Copyright © 2018 HarperCollinsPublishers Text © C. S. Lewis Pte Ltd Compiled by Andrea Kirk Assaf and Kelly Anne Leahy Cover illustration and lion illustration credit: Shutterstock.com Cover and text design by e-Digital Design

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780008282479

Ebook Edition © April 2018 ISBN: 9780008309374 Version: 2018-05-25

When all the suns and nebulae have passed away, each one of you will still be alive.

The Weight of Glory

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

PART ONE: Living a Full Life with Christ

PART TWO: Choosing Joy

PART THREE: Transforming Grief

PART FOUR: Learning to Love

PART FIVE: Lessons from Reality and the Imagination

PART SIX: The Consolation of Friendship

PART SEVEN: Reason to Hope

PART EIGHT: Recognizing Sin

PART NINE: Finding God

PART TEN: Aslan’s Country: Onward Toward Heaven

The Complete Works of C. S. Lewis

Bibliography

About the Compilers

About the Publisher

Upon reading the words of Clive Staples Lewis, it does not take long to feel as though you are an intimate friend, as though it is just the two of you sharing a pint in The Eagle and Child, his favorite pub, or a cup of tea by the fireside in his sitting room.

When we picture him, Lewis might be wearing a cozy dressing gown and slippers, or a tweed jacket with a smoking pipe in hand. But do not let these comforting associations fool you; Lewis is the master of laying bare human folly and getting to the heart of the matter.

Although in a most approachable manner, his wit can bite, and his wisdom can expose our doubts to the light of day. His insight can be so jarring because it comes directly from his own experience; it comes from a life deeply pondered and bravely lived.

In both the world of Narnia and in his Christian apologetical works, Lewis draws us up close to the comforting fireplace with his conversational style. Just as we’ve warmed up, he catches us off guard by stirring up the hot coals of truth and striking our consciences with a burning clarity.

Consider this quote:

‘When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards … ‘

Aslan’s sacrifice on Edmund’s behalf atop the White Witch’s stone table invokes a deep magic that breaks the bond of death. All this requires little explanation to the reader, and indeed is better appreciated without an explanation. In this brief excerpt from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis successfully employs the Moral Imagination, seamlessly weaving profound theological insight through a captivating story.

Contemplating the wisdom of Lewis pulls us into an experience not unlike that of Eustace Scrubb—that nasty little boy who is transformed into a dragon through his selfishness in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Only when he sheds great dragon tears of repentance does Aslan appear and peel away the scaly skin.

‘The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart.

And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off … Then he caught hold of me—I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on—and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.’

In the pages that follow, you will find, dear reader, maps to help you make the same journey as that of Eustace Scrubb—Lewis’ words of wisdom on how we should live as Christians, embrace the gift of joy, transform grief, learn how to love, see reality through the imagination, enjoy friendship, find reason to hope, recognize sin, understand the nature of God, and seek Aslan’s country.

So pull up a chair by the fire; it’s time for a conversation with a wise friend.

‘Our drinks are at our elbows … the whole world, and something beyond the world, opens itself to our minds as we talk … ‘—