Screwtape Letters Essay

Lewis’ Screwtape Letters is an amusing and profound story of the world's temptation and a Christian's victory over it. In a collection of letters, an old demon, Screwtape, gives advice and guidance to his young and naive nephew, Wormwood, on how to lure his "patient" to Hell. Amateurishly attempting to tempt his patient to commit some great, extravagant sin, Wormwood lets his hand off the wheel and his patient becomes a Christian. Even in a seemingly hopeless situation, Screwtape kept his cool and advised Wormwood "to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action...Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of
There is temptation in both the troughs and the peaks of life, but our Father also uses them to draw us closer to Him. During our peaks, we feel great and can be tempted to forget our desperate need for God and become apathetic and think we have everything under control. However, during these great seasons, we are not to let our guard down. We are to stand firm and give thanks for today. But God uses the troughs more than He does the peaks. Screwtape explains, “It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it [a Christian] is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be.” God uses our pain and struggles to draw us closer to Him. During these troughs, it is very easy to fall into a pit. Honestly, it can be comforting sometimes. But, as believers in Christ, we cannot allow ourselves to remain stuck. Yes, there will be times where we are depressed and go through times where it seems like the darkness kills the light and it takes every ounce of strength to get out of bed in the morning, but you are never alone. God has a plan for your life; He has a plan for my life. Now, it may not seem like that. It may seem like He doesn’t care…or maybe that He doesn’t even exist. But no matter how far you run, God still stays right there with you. No matter where you run, God is there. And you can never
It has reminded me to let my light shine in today and trust God with my tomorrow. It has encouraged me to remain faithful during the difficult seasons of life. And it has shown me what true love is. With my dad having a terminal illness and rapidly declining, I have had a daily reminder of how precious the moment is, however, all the “what if’s” and fears of knowing he may not be here in a few weeks or for my 18th birthday or to do so many of the things I want to do with him can be nearly suffocating. But God’s grace is sufficient for today’s burdens. If I allow my mind to wander to the future, I will miss God’s plan for me right now, today; I will miss the opportunity to let my light shine for Him even through my pain. I have been through many ups and downs in my life. After a traumatic experience a few years ago, I’ve felt very trapped in my troughs with the scarce, brief relief of peaks. I’ve struggled a lot with feeling stuck behind a shadow. But I have come to realize that even in my troughs, God is holding me. I now know that on my own, I will not be able to make it through…I’ve tried…but everything that we will ever go through in our lives and every storm we will ever face is for our good. It is for our sanctification and to bring Him glory. I never really saw how anything good could ever come from my story…I couldn’t find a purpose for my pain, but even if I can’t see it now, God is weaving a