Belief.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." 
                                          C.S. Lewis

I love this quote, or in a more modern translation, I heart this quote.  Here's the thing, I struggle with being nice.  I'm just not a nice person.  I'm very strong-willed. You are most likely not going to change my mind, and I'm one of those people who sticks up for the other... really.  My wonderful husband, Matt, puts me in my place a lot of the time, because, when I say I'm not nice, he's not excluded from my unkind acts.  As my friend Ashley would tell you:  I'm the person who shoots first and asks questions later.  I'm not always proud of that fact.  I am also not proud of being so strong-willed all the time... mainly because I'm afraid little man probably inherited that personality trait from his mama.  Lovely.

And as an unkind, strong-willed person, this quote from C.S. Lewis is my mantra.  Just a sidenote:  the term mantra is used a lot in other religions, but I rarely hear the term used in Christianity. Basically, a word/words are "spoken" to invoke spiritual transformation.  Well, I've already been spiritually transformed, but I can use all the help I can get to continue in my salvation by reading the Bible, which I will say is my Christian mantra.  Anyway, this quote from C.S. Lewis is inspiring.  You see, I need to see the world through my Christian lenses, and in so doing, I should also be more kind toward others.  I'm talking about, not getting angry at silly things, talking meanly to others, or simply not talking.  Nor should I berate others for silly things.  I hear lots of useless talk among other Christians.  Talk about people in the entertainment field, political field, etc... And the talk I hear is often times why we don't agree with them or like what they are doing or what they stand for.  Well, as my father says: we cannot expect a non-Christian to act like a Christian .  Why do we try so hard to hold them to our own standards?  A non-Christian has no morals or values.  Really?  Yeah.  Where do we get our morals and values from?  Jesus. If they don't come from Him, they are non-existent.  In other words, humans are not basically good.  We get our goodness from Him.  And for those of use who talk about other Christians... I've said it before:  we are spending an eternity with these people.  We are not perfect.  Don't focus on flaws, but instead on the positive attributes of this person.  And, if you have a problem, go to that person in love and work it out privately.

So, back to the quote.  This quote implies that, as Believers, we should see EVERTHING else by way of our Christianity (our morals/values/beliefs).  We do not make a decision to follow Christ, and then go out and live like the rest of the world.  This means that we do not have our Christianity on one level and life/job/politics on the other.  You see, there are so many arguments about whether we should include God in schools, in politics; whether our country was founded on Christian beliefs.  However, I personally believe those are useless arguments to some degree (and I like a good debate).  We are looking for others to decide where we are allowed to bring our Christianity into (school? government? work places?).  If you are a Christian, shouldn't you already be bringing your Christianity into these places?  It is not a coat that we put on at home, at church, at soccer games.  Ephesians 1:13 tells us that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  A seal is not temporary.  This verse is referring to permanence.  As a Christian, we take our beliefs everywhere.  Now, do I believe in taking your Bible into school and blatantly placing it on the adminstrator's desk? I think not.  But, I do mean standing behind your beliefs whatever the circumstances.  Jesus did. And look at the ruckus he caused among the pharisees!  So, dearest C.S. Lewis, thank you for allowing me to write a book about your quote!  Love, me.