Measuring the application of charity

Reading Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis) a second time through. First read was over 10 years ago. Figured I had forgotten too much, or maybe I am now more prepared to understand what he said about Christianity. One of many standouts is his discussion of charity, the act of helping others.

Lewis says we are to exhibit charity to those we don't even like. Humm. Guess he is right on that. Jesus said we were to love those who do not love us (paraphrased). Lewis admits how hard it is, but his point is that we can do better in the application, and the more we do so, the easier it is. We don't have to like the person to whom we give our charity, Lewis says. That is a problem, fo sho.

How does one come about liking people though. The writer offers good examples. Writing during and immediately after WW II, Lewis said the Germans did not like the Jews. They hated the Jews. And the more they persecuted the Jews, the more they hated them. In other words, it is like compounding (his word). The more you do it the more you do it. Lewis contends we can change hate to like (perhaps even love). That part is up to us. The converse to the Germans to the Jews is the more one likes a person the easier it is to like them.

A preacher friend of mine told me today of a recent time he was confronted by his neighbor because my friend allowed his dog to do his thing on the neighbor's trash can. When the confrontation started my friend was pretty neutral in like or dislike of his neighbor. They had had no relationship. But, said he, as we talked about Lewis' comments on like and dislike, the more his neighbor talked about his dog peeing on his trash can, the more he disliked her. (He still does not care much for his neighbor. He finds others reasons outside the dog incident to dislike his neighbor now. Well, that is what we are talking about! The more we dislike the more we dislike.

Based on the above, my view (and applicable to me and my friend) is that when we find ourselves disliking someone, we need to shift our thinking. Stop our dislike and convert it to like.

I found myself disliking a person recently. The more I disliked the more I found reason to dislike more. I decided, even before reading Lewis, that I must change my thinking. Already I feel better toward this person. Now maybe I can think in terms of charity.

That it the thought: measuring the application of charity.