Helen Martin’s Blog

It was about 14 years ago that I first read The Screwtape Letters. It’s a great book with an intriguing premise. The “letters” are full of direction and advice from a senior tempter - devil - to his nephew, concerning how to “secure the damnation” of the human to whom the nephew has been “assigned.” Its author was a master of both the written word and of the art of observing and understanding the condition of man. What he reveals is soul penetrating; and his accuracy and truthfulness naturally result in a lot of humor. (There’s an abridged [audio version][1] read by John Cleese, who was a very good choice given his understated and clever style.)

I learned and have kept many gems from that wonderful book. One of the most often refered to in our house is The Law of Undulation. (Except we say “It’s Undulation, Baby!”)
[Undulation][2], a regular rising and falling, well describes the wave-like quality life has; your basic highs and lows. However, C.S. Lewis refers not just to our moods, but to the way the felt-presence of God in our lives varies from time to time, and with it our perception of life’s difficulty or ease.

It isn’t meant to show God as capricious, but endlessly purposeful. He’s described as a loving Father who is teaching His children to walk. Sometimes He holds them up and other times takes His hand away; as a result of the withdrawal, sometimes they fall. But Lewis goes on to say that if the desire to walk is in His children, “[God] is pleased even with their stumbles.”

That idea of God making Himself more or less felt, depending upon what He’s after in my life is very thought provoking. He’s truly gentlemanly - not interested in forcing Himself upon anyone. (And why would He ever need to? He is quintessentially attractive.) It makes the concept of free will easier to wrap my head around. He has designed the way of the world so that depending on where I rest my eyes, I could just as easily keep or lose my focus on Him. And that loss of focus can happen without any regard to circumstances.

On the other hand, if I do keep my gaze fixed on Him, how could I help but get swept away by how wonderful He is? (Again, regardless of what’s happening.)

On the bottom of the wave, it’s not about how well I do, but about how much I desire to please Him. And at the top of the wave, it’s still not about my success, but about how much better I can see Him from that higher level.
[1]:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/094499315X/103-4081645-5725425?v=glance&n=283155

[2]:http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=undulation