Surprised by Joy

Another late night inspiration post.

I recently read a few excerpts from C.S. Lewis' Surprised by Joy. I enjoyed it a lot, and actually may try to read the whole thing on my own time (if I ever find some). However, it was this evening that some meaning from that book really struck me.

One of the aspects C.S. Lewis highlights in his book is the meaning of Joy in the Christian life. He describes his own experiences of discovering the unimaginable pleasure of Joy as a small child, and how the instances of this grew in number as he aged (though he had some doubts about them at later points). Even so his description of childhood joys were of simple pleasures such as reading Beatrice Potter's Squirrel Nutkin books, or reading an ancient poem, or even in a small flower garden. And it is in the last few days that God has been allowing me to have similar experiences.

I first recognized it tonight while walking to an art gallery with some friends. I was staring at the sunset captivated by the orange tinge of the sky where the horizon lay, and the softer blue that lay further up. It was beautiful. Not in the extreme beauty of a sunset full of magnificent shades of all varieties of colors (red, orange, pink, purple, blue, etc.), but in a more quiet and simple way. The two simple tones of color, the soft evening air, the fluffy clouds being slowly cast into darkness, all contributed to a remarkable feeling.

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It at first reminded me of excitement. It was the butterflies in the stomach kind of feeling you get on Christmas morning, but I quickly began to realize it was more than that. It was this spreading warmth within me, this sense of awe, of goodness, of quietness, and above all of peace. It was this moment where my heart and soul suddenly spoke aloud, declaring the goodness of God for this creation. I was actually so enraptured in it that I fell behind the group I was walking with and had a few friends worry I would get left behind. I was so wrapped up in it, I actually pushed a few of them away, trying to grasp for a few more minutes that incredible awe inspiring feeling. It was one of those moments where I did have the unmistakable desire to be alone, to savor a brief and perfect intimacy with God.

I actually was lucky enough to experience that joy later in the evening as well. At the art gallery some of the pieces just grabbed on to a piece of me. I again was overwhelmed with what Lewis would call Joy. It was beautiful, and so fulfilling and real to me. I stared at a photo of a bundle of soft juicy grapes wrapped up amongst the delicate detailed leaves, and I wondered at the amazing intricacy which God created. From large peaceful sunsets, to vivid small grapes, God created every piece of it, and He daily allows me to see his beautiful creation.

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Of course the mood was spoiled by one of my friends pointing out an "obvious" flaw in the picture which made it unworthy of true artistic consideration. I am sad to say Joy fled fairly quickly, but I allowed it to pass in the realization that while the photograph was real, the flaws only emphasized how we can never truly recreate the beauty God has made. We can only hope to make slightly flawed copies.

With all this in mind God has begun opening my eyes to the moments of Joy he has put into my life. Like C.S. Lewis these do not have to be from incredibly Godly things. They can be pieces of art, or a beautiful piece of literature. In fact just the other day I remarked on facebook my Joy in beginning to read Les Misérables. I was struck by the beauty of the language, and I felt that familiar tug at my heart, that rush of longing and desire for something greater, because I know what I am experiencing is a mere taste of the Joy and beauty that is placed in heaven awaiting us all.