In his Letters to Malcolm Lewis speaks of how adoration in its purest form is experienced when we give ourselves over to the simple pleasures of life: a walk with a friend, the sound of a roaring wind, a bite into a crisp apple. These are the moments when the hints of heaven - theopanies (revelations of God) -come our way. "To experience the tiny theophany is itself to adore." He later goes on to add that it is only in what we see as frivolous that the celestial qualities are discovered. It is only in our "hours-off," only in our moments of permitted festivity, that we find an analogy. Dance and game are frivolous, unimportant down here; for "down here" is not their natural place. Here, they are a moment's rest from the life we were placed here to live. But in this world everything is upside down. That which, if it could be prolonged here, would be a truancy, is likest that which in a better country is the End of ends. Joy is the serious business of heaven.
What a wonderful picture of heaven! And what a wonderful way to give ourselves permission to enjoy the simple pleasures of life ... without guilt. They are just a preparation for the life of eternity that follows.
I'm not sure I give myself enough of those chances. I've let my compulsive and unhealthy work ethic too often get in the way of the shafts of glory that await me in this world and the next. And when I think back upon it I believe my deepest spiritual moments have come when I gave myself over to experiencing the simple joys or, at least, the remembering of them.
A dear friend of mine is a great teacher in this. I once listened to him wax eloquent upon the breakfast he had just had -- a freshly baked scone and a hot cup of coffee. He savored it and gave minutes of thanks to God for it!! I realized then I had a lot to learn.
What's been your latest simple pleasure?
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I realize that this entry is years old, but I've stumbled upon it and was dismayed to see it without comment.
ReplyDeleteSimple pleasures are what makes the world go round, and what keeps an optimist's glass half-full. If one can't enjoy the simple things, how can he look forward to tomorrow? Life is a string of simple things, and sure, they intertwine and can seem complicated, but if you are able to zero in on a single moment of peace, passion, or pleasure, you will be all the better for it.