There is Someone that I Love

“There is someone that I love, even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept, though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive, though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is me.” ~C. S. Lewis~

C.S. Lewis was one of a kind. He’s one of those guys that seem to have garnered everyone’s respect. On top of that, he was a gifted writer. Consequently, he is about as quotable as they come.

This particular quote reveals his humility. It’s certainly self-deprecating. Apparently, he didn’t think more of himself than he ought.

With his accomplishments and the acclaim he received, he certainly could have had an ego bigger than the sky. Yet, he appears to have been well grounded. He also appears to have understood his own shortcomings and sin.

We usually look up to people because of their talent, their abilities, and/or their achievements. Seldom do we know these people intimately. When we do get a look at them behind the scenes, we often find a skeleton in their closet that knocks them off the pedestal we erected for them.

Cop an attitude…

With people like Lewis, however, there is an openness that precludes any idol worship. It’s an attitude that says, “I’m an imperfect sinner. I’m not crazy about it, but here I am. Help me get better.”

Any of us would do well to cop that kind of attitude. For most of us, however, it’s highly likely that we would try to hide any chinks in our armor. We want to put our best foot forward and leave it there. Our failings can remain in the shadows.

However, we best serve the human race that surrounds us by being a little vulnerable. When someone seems a little too perfect, they don’t seem human. If they aren’t human, they become an unfeeling robot destined for obscurity. No one looks up to a façade without wondering what’s behind it. Eventually, we get tired (even suspicious) of someone who never fails.

Lewis not only had a healthy view of who he was, he admittedly loved himself. Sometimes we get the feeling that’s wrong—that we shouldn’t love ourselves. We need to realize, that’s how God made us.

We have to have some self-love in order to be everything we can be. We need it for self-preservation. We need it to reach our potential. It’s when we don’t care about ourselves that we become less than productive or worse.

Without self-love, we can actually become self-loathing. It’s then that we fall prey to self-destructive habits. These can place us in the position of becoming burdens on society rather than blessings.

Like Lewis, there is someone that I love. It’s me. As messed up as I am, I think I have potential and can get better every day. I love me because God loves me. I’ve read in his book that he loves you too.

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