Letter #30
Wormwood is in trouble
- again.
My dear Wormwood,
I sometimes wonder whether you think you have been sent into the world for your own amusement. ... At any rate, you will soon find that the justice of Hell is purely realistic, and concerned only with results. Bring us back food, or be food yourself.
30.1) Ouch!!
Compare this to what Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 21:12-19 –
Lk 21:12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.
Talk about the contrast between two things:
-
How Satan treats his devils versus how God treats His disciples (including us).
- Who ultimately has the responsibility for taking care of their “disciples”?
The only constructive passage in your letter is where you say that you still expect good results from the patient’s fatigue. That is well enough. But it won’t fall into your hands. ... Whatever he says, let his inner resolution be not to bear whatever comes to him, but to bear it ‘for a reasonable period’—and let the reasonable period be shorter than the trial is likely to last. It need not be much shorter; in attacks on patience, chastity, and fortitude, the fun is to make the man yield just when (had he but known it) relief was almost in sight.
I do not know whether he is likely to meet the girl under conditions of strain or not. If he does, make full use of the fact that up to a certain point, fatigue makes women talk more and men talk less. Much secret resentment, even between lovers, can be raised from this.
30.2) When things get tough - who will the patient rely on?
All of these things that Screwtape is proposing to Wormwood depend on the patient not relying on God – but instead being influenced by Wormwood.
Talk about this in relation to the story below –
THE ROPE
The story tells about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He began his adventure after many years of preparation, but since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone.
The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountain, and the man could not see anything. All was black. Zero visibility, and the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds.
As he was climbing, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great speed. The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity. He kept falling... and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes of his life.
He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.
His body was still hanging in the air...Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice but to scream:
HELP ME GOD!
All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:
What do you want me to do?
-Save me God!
Do you really think I can save you?
- Of course I believe you can.
THEN CUT THE ROPE TIED TO YOUR WAIST...
There was a moment of silence: the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.
The rescue team tells, that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen... his body hanging from a rope. His hands holding tight to it...
ONLY TEN FEET FROM THE GROUND.
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