C. S. Lewis & JoySample

Longing for God

True Joy means nurturing a deep longing for God. The more time we spend in the secret place, the more we gain great revelations of God’s character, love, and of Heaven itself. The more we identify with Heaven as our true home, the more Joy we have in the secret place, and the cycle of longing and Joy builds exponentially as we chase after God for the rest of our lives.

The secret place, in other words, provides an eternal perspective that sets the tone for everything else in our lives. The time we spend in the secret place, in other words, begins to cure our hearts of fear ─ especially the paralyzing fear of losing people or things precious to us. The secret place makes us fearless.

How to Act on This

When fear overwhelms your life, allow the secret place to work as a shut-off valve. Take refuge in God’s presence and ask Him to reveal the endless goodness of Heaven. Remember the promises of the Word: He has written all your days in His book and knows every little thing and person you’ve ever loved. This place is not our home. When we understand that in our hearts, fear loses its strangling grip on us.

C. S. Lewis Quote of the Day, from Mere Christianity:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."

Shadowlands and Songs of Light Quote of the Day:

"I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus, when we meet him face-to-face, opens the books and allows us to see the good things from our lives with a greater clarity than when we first experienced them. Such speculation is not wild theology. It is near to the heart of the Bible. After all, Jesus said that the Father knows you so well—better than you know yourself, in fact."