At the public library this week I came across a book by Philip Yancey, another favorite author, that I somehow had missed. Its title is Reaching for the Invisible God and in it Yancey quotes a letter from C.S. Lewis to Father John Calabria that Yancey, as a writer, found extremely relevant.
Lewis at the time was turning 50, had experienced fame and success as an author, and had new book projects on the go. But due to chaos in his household (caring for his infirm mother as well as that of a friend, among other things) couldn't get to them. He felt his writerly powers slipping away. After asking Calabria for prayer, Lewis writes the following: "If it please God that I write more books, blessed be He. If it shall not please Him, again, blessed be He. Perhaps it will be the most wholesome thing for the soul that I lose both fame and skill lest I were to fall into that evil disease, vainglory."
This quote illustrates the reality that Christian writers do, or should, regard their writing careers in a unique light--a theme I explored in an earlier post.
No comments:
Post a Comment