Chapter 4 discussion

    In our last class discussion about A Grief Observed some interesting points came up. Some of the questions that emerged from the statements about God's character and who we think he is are as follows. What if what I thought about God did not have any fact or truth to it? What if, like Lewis, "my idea of God is not a divine idea." What if it had to be shattered time after time? What if He shatters it Himself? All these questions are very deep and sometimes hard to face. Have all my beliefs about who God is and what He does fall utterly short of who he really is and what he really does? Professor Corrigan mentioned to us in class that; we as a human race have to speak of God metaphorically because like in the bible and in Jesus' teachings and parables, metaphors are the closest things to describe God and the way things work. When we use metaphors, circumstances and events are understood. Like professor Corrigan said in class, words (language) cannot fully explain the character or qualities of God. I think to understand somewhat the qualities of God we first have to recognize the simple things we come across every day. What is something we encounter every day? Nature. We see nature and the processes that occur in nature every day, from the morning dew evaporating to the millions of stars welcoming a dark night. If we can learn to have an understanding of nature and a heart of gratitude because we are God's prized possessions (like it says in James Chapter One) then some qualities of God might not be so elusive.
     Towards the end of last class professor Corrigan shared with us his favorite line in the whole book. "Not my idea of God, but God." Later on after this line Lewis writes, "Talking and acting not to the man himself but to the picture-almost the precis-we've made of him in our on minds?" We do the same thing with God, until he reveals a little bit of his character which changes our whole perspective on who or what God does. I took the 5 minutes professor Corrigan gave us when he dismissed us early and thought about the line "Not my idea of God, but God." My mind was drawn to a verse in Romans that helped me really want what C.S. Lewis wants. This verse has been on my heart ever since the athletic leadership retreat I was a apart of back in early September. One of the speakers highlighted this verse because the theme of the retreat was to know God more intimately. It is funny how reading this chapter and listening to the discussions in class have led my mind to this same verse. Romans 12:1-2 "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." If God will reveal his will to us, it could also reflect who he really is, not who we think he is.