“The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis, whom I believe to be one of the greatest thinkers of all time, makes this statement regarding the process from which an individual falls away from Christ. One does not simply drift away in a day, but rather through a series of conscious choices leading to a life apart from the Savior. Personally, I find the thought of this progressive shift to be quite unnerving. After all, if one can slowly turn from Christ on a daily basis without any realization, how can we as Christians develop a relationship with our Lord in which we are fully aware of the state at which our heart resides?
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While preparing to write this article, I took some time to bounce a few thoughts off of a friend. Amidst conversation, they made the statement, “At no point does faith remain stagnant; one is either growing closer to Christ or falling away from Him.” Granted, this may come across as being fairly straightforward, however I feel as though a common thought among Christians is to think that one can in a sense, “plateau,” in his or her walk with God. In other words, he or she is comfortable. Yet, I will be the first to say that it is in fact this “comfortableness” that is destroying the relationships with Christ that some may have once had.
To grow is to make oneself uncomfortable and to humble ourselves to a point at which we can openly admit to the fact that we essentially have no potential outside of the grace of God. We, as Christians, were not called to live an enjoyable lifestyle of convenience, but instead to lay down our lives daily for the sake and glory of our Creator. Luke 9:24 ESV exemplifies this very concept through Christ’s words to his apostles, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
The destructive choices that we make are a result of our egotistical desire to consistently satisfy our needs, as insignificant as they may be. However, in order to successfully avoid the “safest road to hell,” one needs to consistently turn their point of focus from self, to Christ, as the surrender of self is the realization of our desperate need for a Savior. It is through this recognition, that a son or daughter of God can continue to grow, continue to be challenged, and continue to pursue a servant’s heart, willing to go wherever the Lord may call.
