Integrative Essay

C.S. Lewis once stated that “humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”. Lewis put significant emphasis on the concept of humility in every aspect of the Christian faith. Humility is what drives every human being to compassion for others before themselves. Through humility, the world becomes a better place to live; a Creation where selfishness is insignificant and love is bountiful. Philippians 2:3-4 states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi around A.D. 61 to thank them for sending a gift while he was in prison. He also wanted to encourage and strengthen these believers by showing them that true joy comes from Christ alone. Paul saw the importance of surrendering oneself for God’s purpose of bringing others to Him, to live a life of full obedience and love. Although Paul did not have an easy life, he lived a life of humility before God in order to fulfill His calling and by giving God all honor, glory and praise. The importance of being humble is that when we give up our self-interest, we can serve with joy, love and kindness. Throughout many of Lewis’ works, he constantly writes about humility in accordance to the Christian faith. In Learning in War-Time, Lewis stated, “Humility, no less than the appetite, encourages us to concentrate simply on the knowledge or the beauty, not too much concerning ourselves with their ultimate relevance to the vision of God” (Lewis, Learning 3).

In C.S. Lewis’ “Meditation in a Toolshed”, Lewis focused on the idea of looking "at" or "along" a situation in life. He explained that in order to fully understand and relate to someone else, humans need to have a balance between being a part of the situation while also seeing the outside perspective objectively. I believe that humility is the key to this concept because we, as humans, cannot fully understand someone else’s point of view. Lewis states that "a physiologist, for example, can study pain and find out that it 'is' (whatever is means) such and such neural events. But the word pain would have no meaning for him unless he had 'been inside' by actually suffering” (Lewis, Meditation 2). Having compassion and understanding is extremely important when talking to someone is going through a hard time.

In A Grief Observed, Lewis is grieving the loss of his beloved wife Joy. Hurt, confusion, and sadness are evident in his writings as he tries to sort through the many emotions he is feeling. In Chapter 2, Lewis gives a good example of the distinction between looking at or along a situation. “Talk to me about the truth of religion and I’ll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I’ll listen submissively. But don’t come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect you don’t understand” (Lewis, Grief) Many times I find myself in certain situations where I try to give a ton of advice as if I completely understand what the other person is going through. When I am giving advice just by looking at a situation, I usually end up eating my own words. I can give as much advice as possible, but if I do not do so out of love and understanding, then all of my words are rendered meaningless. I believe that the distinguishing characteristic of looking at and along is humility. By coming into a certain situation with complete humility, we can focus on giving the best advice, not from ourselves, but through God’s Word and love. It is important that the relationship between looking at or along a situation is focused on each individual displaying understanding and humility. Colossians 3:12-14 states, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity”.

C.S. Lewis’ “Have No Right to Happiness” focuses on whether or not humans have a right to happiness. Lewis concluded that we indeed have no right to happiness and I agree with him. We, as humans, have no right to anything, let alone happiness. When sin entered the world, we lost all rights to anything because we were captured by our sin. God sent His son, Jesus, to earth in order to have mercy on our lost souls. God sent us grace so that we may follow and spend eternity with Him forever. We have no right to anything. It is only because God sent grace that we can pursue happiness that is rooted in Christ. In Philippians 4:4, God calls us to “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” I find this extremely humbling; that God allows us joy rooted in Him. If we begin to look at our lives as though we deserve happiness, then pride becomes the center of our mindset. I constantly need to remind myself that I deserve nothing and bask in God’s wonderful mercy and love that he has showered on His children. Lewis also talked about how in times of joy many times we forget God and feel as though we do not need Him. And if we remember to be thankful, then we are welcomed with open arms. And in the hard times, we wonder how God could allow such terrible events to happen to good people who never deserved it. In Matthew, on the cross, Jesus proclaims to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We begin to doubt whether or not our God is actually as good as He says He is. It is as though we have the mindset that if we are happy it is because we did something to deserve it. It was because of the money we gave to that charity, or the fact that I showed love to my enemy. What a completely twisted lifestyle that we, as Christians, bask in. Psalm 16:9-11 states, “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made know to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”. True joy is found in God’s presence alone. I am completely humbled by God’s provisions in my life and I pray that I might live constantly clinging to Him.

Lewis gives a beautiful depiction of true humility at its purest in “The Weight of Glory”. “Perfect humility dispenses with modesty. If God is satisfied with the work, the work may be satisfied with itself” (Lewis, Glory 6). The point of humility is not to belittle oneself, but instead to do everything with the intention of giving it to God for His glory alone. Lewis states, “And that is enough to raise our thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has pleased Him whom she was created to please. There will be no room for vanity then” (Lewis, Glory 6). Christians look forward to the day when they can hear God say well done, good and faithful servant. This is not to bring glory to ourselves, but instead, to fulfill the purpose that God had laid before us. By doing so, God will welcome us with open arms because He knows us as His faithful children who clung solely to His will and purpose. I find this depiction of humility to be at its purest form. In the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:34-36,40, Jesus gives an example of how we should be living our lives in humility and purpose for furthering God’s Kingdom here on earth.“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me… I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

Plantinga also touched on the topic of humility in the chapter on redemption. “Because the mind of Christ includes looking not only to one’s own interests, but also to the interests of others, she prays and works for people who need the grace of Jesus Christ in some obvious way” (Plantinga 96). Humility is modeled after Christ and, by utilizing His characteristics, we are fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. Like the Talmud would follow closely to their Rabbi, as should we follow so closely to Christ that the dust of our Rabbi would be on us. I am completely humbled by the fact that we are a broken mirror reflecting a bit of God’s image to the world around us. I cannot look down or belittle myself because I am an image bearer of Christ, but I do need to give Him all the honor and glory. To show God’s goodness to His broken Creation is what God calls each of us to do; no matter what vocation we happen to be a part of. “He practices humility and trusts that humility is actually a sign of strength. He takes on ‘the form of a servant’ and trusts that this is the kind of life God will vindicate because servanthood is part of the life of heaven” (Plantinga 97).

The most efficient way to bring others to Christ is being clothed in humility and compassion in order to shine God’s light to others. In Matthew 28:19-20, God calls us to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Works Cited

Lewis, C.S. A Grief Observed, 1961.

Lewis, C.S. “Have No Right to Happiness”

Lewis, C.S. “Learning in War-Time.” Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. 1939. Lecture.

Lewis, C.S. “Meditation in a Toolshed”.

Lewis, C.S. “The Weight of Glory.” Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. 1942. Lecture.

Plantinga, Cornelius Jr. Engaging God's Word. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Co. , 2002. Print

Shattered Glass (Movie)

Shattered Glass is a true story about a Washington D.C. journalist named Stephen Glass who became a very successful writer for "The New Republic" in his early 20s. Glass' character is charming, full of charisma and completely loveable. It seemed as though he was living the perfect life; everyone wanted to be him. But after some of his information did not quite check out, Glass' boss started researching and found that the facts from the articles did not match up. By the end of the movie, we find out that 27 of Glass' 41 published stories were either partially or completely made up.

I thought this movie did a great job of showing the importance of living a life full of integrity. Although short cuts to fame may seem like the best choice to get ahead, eventually, we will get caught and reap what we sow. Psalm 7:8 states, "let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High God." To live a life of integrity is the best way to get ahead. Working hard to the best of our abilities provides the most complete satisfaction we can ever imagine.

Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God has given each of us a unique gift; whether it be writing, teaching, painting, singing, encouraging etc. In order to use our gifts to the best of our ability, we must use integrity and try to fulfill God's purpose in us.

"Man or Rabbit"

"But to evade the Son of Man, to look the other way, to pretend you haven't noticed, to become suddenly absorbed in something on the other side of the street, to leave the receiver off the telephone because it might be He who was ringing up, to leave unopened certain letters in a strange hand-writing because they might be from Him--this is a different matter. You may not be certain yet whether you ought to be a Christian; but you do know you ought to be a Man, not an ostrich, hiding its head in the sand." C.S. Lewis answered the controversial question of whether or not a non-believer can really be a good person. When I first read this, I thought it quite obvious that there are good people who do not believe in Christianity. As I further read Lewis' argument, I began to understand that there is a much deeper question here than whether or not a man can do good without believing in Christianity. Lewis states, "The question before each of us is not 'Can someone lead a good life without Christianity?' The question is, 'Can I?'... If he hadn't heard of Christianity he would not be asking this question." Sure a man can do good without being a Christian, but ultimately, his morality will become tainted because of his rejection of the ultimate good; God.

I thought Lewis did a good job of presenting such a controversial topic. In the end, I agreed with his standing on the issue because the man had not just been ignorant of God, he instead fully rejected the idea of God. Goodness and God are one in the same, so if a man chooses to discount God then he discounts goodness as well. Luke 18:19 states, "'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good-- except God alone.'" God cannot be separate from good in this world.

"The people who keep on asking if they can't lead a decent life without Christ, don't know what life is about; if they did they would know that 'a decent life' is mere machinery compared with the thing we men are really made for." I am completely humbled by the fact that God has created me to do good in this world for Him. Sometimes I feel as though I look more to myself as the good person, when in fact, the good inside of me is God Himself.

Plantinga Chapter 5

Plantinga states, "Your Calvin education is designed to help you love the Lord our God with all your mind, and then to love your neighbor as yourself with a life of educated service". I would have to agree with Plantinga on this point of the chapter. Although some of what he said was good, he said it with a kind of arrogant air that Christians are better than others. Despite this, I definitely agree with the previous quote.

Before I chose Calvin, I was only looking at Christian colleges. I always got the question, "Why would you want to go to a Christian college? Isn't it way cheaper to go to a state school?" Sometimes I wondered why I would go to a Christian school. My family is not very wealthy, and not to mention the economy makes it even harder. I questioned my reasoning constantly. It would be so much easier to go to a state school; academically and financially. My parents encouraged me to go to a Christian school because it is learning a vocation from the Christian perspective and I would be around other Christian friends that are like-minded. After praying about it, I felt God calling me to go to Calvin.

Although I think it is extremely important to go out into the world and be a part of it for Christ, it is also important to learn from Christian teachers and be prepared to go out into the world. This mindset is not for everyone, but I did feel God calling me to be educated at a Christian school. Everyday, I thank God for bringing me here and constantly providing.

The Inner Ring

I believe that C.S. Lewis approached a common topic in a unique way in "The Inner Ring". He discussed the concept of how humans always want to be included in some way or another. We all want to be inside the 'inner ring'. "I believe that in all men's' lives at certain periods, and in many men's lives at all periods between infancy and extreme old age, one of the most dominant elements is the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside." Every person can remember one moment in their lives when the longed to be apart of a certain group; to be inside the inner ring.

I guess the most cliche example of this would have to be high school. It may be cliche, but this is where I witnessed adolescents doing anything to get into a certain group. They changed who they were into who they thought they wanted to be; or more likely who they thought others wanted them to be. I watched my friends change completely so that they would fit in better with the more "popular" group. I struggled with the idea of being content with myself, and tried to be someone that I wasn't. It is something that I struggle with everyday and will continue to struggle with in every stage of my life. Although I do feel more secure in who I am now than I did back when I was 15, I still struggle with the constant push to be someone that the world would want me to be; not necessarily God. Striving to be in the Inner Ring brings many people to pride when they get in, and grief when they do not.

I Corinthians 12:12-13 states, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." I really like this passage because it reminds me to be content with who God made me to be. God gave each and every one of His children different gifts to further His Kingdom and to show the true beauty of His Creation. This is something I need to remind myself everyday; I am who God say I am.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." (Frederick Keonig)

"The Four Loves: Eros"

Eros is the chapter in which C.S. Lewis focuses on sexual love in his work "The Four Loves". At one point, Lewis compares a husband and wife's relationship to the relationship of Christ and His church. This is in the context that the wife "receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is in her own mere nature least lovable. For the Church has no beauty but what the Bridegroom gives her; he does not find, but makes her, lovely." I thought that this was a beautiful analogy of what Christ does for us. When I first read this, I wondered why on earth this man would choose to marry such an uncaring and selfish women? The same is for why Christ chose to die for our sins of selfishness, hatred, greed etc. We never deserved it, yet Christ chose to make us His bridegroom and, therefore, made us beautiful. We are a broken mirror reflecting a bit of His beauty to others. In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul was giving commands of how each couple should treat each other specifically to the Ephesian Church. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." During this time period, men were the head of the house and the wives had to listen to everything they said. The fact that Paul told husbands to love their wives as they love themselves is something that these men had never been told to do before. Paul also goes on to explain that wives must also respect their husbands.

After reading this passage from Ephesians 5, I realized that it is not just a one way street in marriage and love. Although Paul puts emphasis on the husbands' role in marriage to make a point, he also mentions that wives need to respect their husbands. Christ loves His church and makes her beautiful but it cannot stop there. The church needs to take that love and bring it to the broken world around it. It takes a lot of work to maintain any relationship (whether here on earth or spiritually). Lewis states that "falling in love is something that happens to us; being /staying in love is something that we do". Falling in love with Christ puts us on a spiritual high were we think we are untouchable but, eventually, we will slowly fall down from our highpoint and back to distrust, confusion, and hurt. To avoid falling too far, it is so important for us to maintain our relationship with Christ through His word, through our actions, and through our relationships in His world. It will not always be easy, just as marriage takes a lot of work, but there will be moments when we look back and see the beauty in our relationship with Christ that makes everything worth it.

Plantinga Chapter 4

The Heidelberg Catechism Question an Answer 1 gives good insight into what I believe as a Christian and what Christ has done for all of us. "Q1: What is your only comfort in life and in death? A1: That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death--to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: if fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him." I have gone to the same Christian Reformed Church my whole life. In my high school catechism class, we recited Question and Answer 1 every week at the beginning of class. Also, in my Christian high school's Reformed Doctrine Class senior year, I was tested on memorizing the same part of the catechism. Because of its monotony, Q&A1 has become second nature for me and has made me somehow overlook the significance of this statement of faith in my life.

The fact that I fully belong to Christ, and not myself, puts emphasis on the idea of vocational calling that Lewis addressed in his sermon "Learning in War-Time". It is essential for me to live my life as an offering to God even in the mundane, everyday activities. I, and all of us, belong to Christ because "He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil". Because Christ chose to redeem us, we can all bask in the freedom that He has given us through Himself.

It is essential for humans, because Christ made the ultimate sacrifice of dying for us, to live a life of faithfully following what would bring honor and glory to God's name. Plantinga states, "The faithful person practices self-giving love and trusts that he won't be a fool to do it. He practices humility and trusts that humility is actually a sign of strength." Plantinga also talked about the Ten Commandments and how instead of restrictions, we should see them as a sense of freedom in a life of commitment to Christ. He stated is perfectly when he said, "Sin traps people and makes them wilt; godly obedience liberates people and helps them flourish." I had never really thought about the Ten Commandments in that point of view before so I really enjoyed Plantinga's interpretation.