God often Goes Further than we Desire

     When I was a child I often had a toothache, and I knew 

that if I went to my mother she would give me something 

which would deaden the pain for that night and let me get 

to sleep.  But I did not go to my mother--at least, not till 

the pain became very bad.  And the reason I did not go was 

this.  I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I 

knew that she would also do something else. I knew she 

would take me to the dentist the next morning.  I could 

not get what I wanted out of her without getting some-

thing more, which I did not want.  I wanted immediate 

relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my 

teeth set permanently right.  And I knew those dentists; 

I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other 

teeth which had not yet begun to ache.  They would not 

let sleeping dogs lie; if you gave them an inch, they took 

an ell (PD note--for those of you like me who have no idea

what an ell is, it's an old English unit of measure equal to

about 45").

     Now, if I may put it that way, Our Lord is like the dentist.  

if you give Him an inch, He will take an ell.  Dozens of people 

go to Him to be cured of some particular sin which they are 

ashamed of  (like lust or physical cowardice) or which is 

obviously spoiling daily life (like bad temper or drunken-

ness).  Well, He will cure it all right: but He will not stop 

there.  That may be all you asked; but if you once call Him 

in, He will give you the full treatment.

     That is why He warned people to "count the cost" before 

becoming Christians.  "Make no mistake," He says, "if you 

let Me, I will make you perfect.  The moment you put your-

self in My hands, that is what you are in in for.  Nothing less, 

or other than that.  You have free will, and if you choose, 

you can push Me away.  But if you do not push Me away, 

understand that I am going to see this job through."

                                                        C.S. Lewis, Joyful Christian

Who is C.S. Lewis?  Clive Staples Lewis, November 29, 1898 

to November 22, 1963, was an academic, medievalist, literary 

critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist.  He is 

also known for his fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, 

The Chronicals of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy.  Mere 

Christianity is perhaps his most popular and influential 

work.

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