As C. S. Lewis became well-known through his popular books and radio broadcasts in the 1940s, he began to receive many letters from readers. He felt that he had a God-given duty to respond and to provide spiritual assistance. He would sit down every day when the postman arrived and respond to that day’s letters.
All the letters were handwritten and the frugal Lewis did not waste a whole piece of paper on you. He would write a response, tear off the paper just below his signature and begin the next response on the remaining fragment of paper. Imagine getting a handwritten letter from C. S. Lewis!
As the Narnian books were published starting in 1950, he started to get many letters from children. They make fascinating reading and I want to share some of them with you.
The following response was sent to the mother of a boy named Laurence. She had written to Lewis on behalf of her son who was worried that his love for Aslan might be some kind of idolatry. There are many interesting aspects to this letter but there is one thing in it that is common to so many of his letters — Lewis recommends prayer for the children and asks them to pray for him.
“Tell Laurence from me, with my love:
1/ Even if he was loving Aslan more than Jesus (I’ll explain in a moment why he can’t really be doing this) he would not be an idol-worshipper. If he was an idol-worshipper he’d be doing it on purpose, whereas he’s now doing it because he can’t help doing it, and is trying hard not to do it. God knows quite well how hard we find it to love Him more than anyone or anything else, and He won’t be angry with us as long as we are trying. And He will help us.
2/ But Laurence can’t really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that’s what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing and saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So that when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus: and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before …
3/ If I were Laurence I’d just say in my prayers something like this: ‘Dear God, if the things I’ve been thinking and feeling about those books are things You don’t like and are bad for me, please take away those feelings and thoughts. But if they are not bad, then please stop me from worrying about them. And help me every day to love you more in the way that really matters far more than any feelings or imaginations, by doing what you want and growing more like you.’ That is the sort of thing I think Laurence should say for himself; but it would be kind and Christian-like if he then added, ‘And if Mr. Lewis has worried any other children by his books or done them any harm, then please forgive him and help him to never do it again.’
Will this help? I am terribly sorry to have caused such trouble, and would take it as a great favor if you would write again and tell me how Laurence goes on. I shall of course have him daily in my prayers. He must be a corker of a boy: I hope you are prepared for the possibility he might turn out a saint. I daresay the saints’ mothers have, in some ways, a rough time!”
Laurence wrote many other letters to Lewis over the years. Here is part of what Lewis had to say in another letter from April of 1957, again requesting prayer:
“Well, I can’t say I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately got married and my wife is very, very ill. I am sure Aslan knows best and whether He leaves her with me or takes her to His own country, He will do what is right. But of course it makes me very sad. I am sure you and your mother will pray for us.”
But a few months later, in December 1957, he has other news for Laurence and has apparently forgotten his previous request for their prayers:
“I forget how much of my news you and your mother know. It is wonderful. Last year I married, at her bedside in hospital, a woman who seemed to be dying: so you can imagine it was a sad wedding. But Aslan has done great things for us and she is now walking about again, showing the doctors how wrong they were, and making me very happy.”
I just thought you might find all of this interesting. I’ll follow up in the near future with some other letters that Lewis wrote to children.
We are all like children to Him. How marvelous that we have a God who knows our weaknesses, who has been here, in our condition, and accepts us where we are. And will help us to draw closer to Himself:
“And help me every day to love you more in the way that really matters far more than any feelings or imaginations, by doing what you want and growing more like you.”
This is great…. there is no sermon that can match someone’s experince with Jesus. doesn’t take any eep theology does it. CS Lewis is still touching lives for the Lord…. thanks a lot.
I love the commitment of time on Lewis’ part to do this. Sure the times were different and their weren’t as many “distractions” as we have today, but I suppose an important takeaway is that what we do with our time doesn’t just reveal what kind of person we are, it can positively or negatively affect those we do or don’t share it with.