Weight of Glory

The weight of glory is a very powerful piece and offers amazing incite to a topic often taken for granted. Lewis opens his piece once again with childlike simplicity with colorful analogies that truly hit to the heart of what he is trying to describe. Lewis opens with idea that every individual has a goal in mind for life. Every person has a longing for some reward or compensation for their efforts everyday. Now even if we don't have a good grasp of exactly what we want we begin to fill that void with others less powerful things like sex, marriage, family, and friends. As Christians we realize the that we have eternal glory. Now what Lewis brings out is, what is that eternal glory. It is something we cannot truly grasp or understand. Lewis gives the analogy of a young child playing in a mud pit. If the child has never been to or experienced the beach, and is enjoying the mud pit, he would most likely not long for the beach or even want the to go to the beach if asked, because he has never experienced it. So it is with us. We seek eternal glory, and we constantly try to figure out what it is, but like the child not only is it hard for us to imagine what it is, but it is difficult for us to truly long for what we do not understand.
Lewis then goes into specifically what he has realized glory to be. Lewis describes glory as a never ending feeling of being known by God. Lewis states that eternal glory is forever being noticed and approved of by God. Lewis uses the analogy of little children getting the gratification from their parents approving and being proud of their work. Often times this approval is even more gratifying than the actual event or achievement itself. What I thought was interesting, was that we always think of the question, what will I do in heaven? The more interesting idea is that the glory of heaven is not what we will be doing but what we will be receiving. We will constantly bask in the pure warmth of Godly mercy, praise, and glorification.
Finally Lewis brings us back to earth and causes us to focus not on our own glory, but on the glory of the brother. I really was taken back at one idea expressed by Lewis. The idea stems from this idea in the piece. Lewis states that bearing the burdens of the brother must be through humility and will break the back of the proud. I pictured in my mind how a proud person walks and carries himself, straight with his head held high. Imagine this person trying to carry a very heavy load with his back still straight and his posture still "holier than thou". It is an interesting image to ponder. Now picture and individual who walks humbly with a stooped posture and an arched back. He can much more easily bare a heavy load than someone who walks rigid and arrogantly.
Lewis powerfully causes one to contemplate not only the temporary, but also the eternal. So many times we consider our eternal reward, but it is often difficult for us to truly envision what we will receive. Lewis gives us possible incite into what this glory will be, or in sense what it will feel like. Lewis incite gives us greater intensive not only to live for Christ personally, but to help others do the same.