Apr 7, 2011

The Temptation For Writers and Artists and Poets and Musicians and Pastors

. . .  for all of us really. This comes from the Great Divorce By C.S. Lewis (one of my favorite books of all time).  pp. 84&85 

"'When you've grown into a Person (it's all right, we all had to do it) there'll be some things which you'll see better than anyone else. One of the things you will want to do will be to tell us about them. But not yet. At present your business is to see. Come and see. He is endless. Come and feed . . . . '

It was all a snare. Ink and catgut and paint were all necessary down there, but they are also dangerous stimulants. Ever poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love for the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn't stop at being interested in paint you know. They sink lower--become interested in their own personalities and in nothing but their own reputations.'"

3 comments:

Ferree Bowman Hardy said...

I love The Great Divorce. Such ugly truth about the deepest hell--I trip over myself as I see it.

Anonymous said...

true. it is a dangerous temptation

His Path Through The Wilderness said...

We're always tempted in those things which we have passions for...for those things we're interested. The temptation is to twist the good for selfish gain and our own glory.