Friday, September 23, 2005

unexpected pleasures

C.S. Lewis deems it 'pleasures of appreciation' in The Four Loves. This occurs when you are perfectly contented and a pleasure comes unexpectedly. This would oppose what he calls 'need love' or love preceded by desire. For what is purer? Unexpected happiness or a longing for happiness that is fulfilled? I think many times the longing is indicative of a deeper need that can only be filled by God's love. If you are filled with His love, the unexpected pleasure of love will only be an additional blessing in your life - not what sustains you. What do we appreciate more? If we long for something, do we not feel as though somehow we have a right to it? Wouldn't we delight more in the unexpected? Adore it? Cherish it? Not cling to it?

3 comments:

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Anonymous said...

i like when i get out my winter clothing, or pants that i have not worn in quite some time, and i go in the pocket and find some money! just the other week, i found $10 in some blue jeans i haven't worn in a long time. i could have worked for that money, had that money coming to me in some way cause it was owed to me, but it was an unexpected pleasure! you'd have thought i found a million dollars! immediately i thanked the Lord for the simple pleasures and blessings...how a $10 bill could make me smile so much. i didn't need it, but it was unexpected. yes He fullfills us with all that we need, and all that we really need can only come from Him. striving for more is exhausting, and when people do that, there is no pleasure in what they do have. God is all about the unexpected pleasures...as long as we find our true contentment in Him. proverb 3 says if we commit our ways to Him, that He will give us the desires of our hearts. commit to Him = true contentment; have our true contentment in Him = God give us desires of our heart (...and unexpected pleasures).