A Severe Mercy

I'm thinking back to a few weeks ago when my wife and I hosted our volunteers' Christmas party in our home. We were in different groups throughout the house, eating and playing a game where we took turns telling something about ourselves. My sister-in-law had told me about a cool interaction exercise that she got from Real Simple magazine. We put several questions in a basket -- each question revealing something about ourselves: family background, a fond memory, a favorite movie. When it came my turn, I pulled out the slip saying, "What is your favorite book?" That was an easy one.

I glanced over at the bookcase in our living room, walked over to it and picked up the book I have loved for years. Then I proceeded to share with the group a brief book review of my all time favorite: A Severe Mercy. After that day I decided to read it again --for the third time! There's only one other book that I've read three times: C.S. Lewis' masterpiece, The Great Divorce.

A Severe Mercy is the most unusual love story of Sheldon and Davy Van Auken, who met and fell in love in Virginia in the 40's. They both had a deep passion for the beauty of life -- poetry, great literature, nature. After they married they bought a boat a sailed in various places along the Eastern Seabord. Van Auken's exquisite writing captured so vividly the wonder of his and Davy's early years together. They eventually moved to Oxford, England where he pursued graduate studies in English literature. And this is where the real adventure began. For it was in Oxford that they encountered a beauty and love that was a reflection of all that Sheldon and Davy had pursued for years -- the living Christ.

God put in their path some new friends who were bright intellectuals like themselves, but with one distinct difference - they were deeply commited Christians. Encountering the joy in the hearts of their new friends both baffled and intrigued the Van Aukens. Then they came under the influence of C.S. Lewis -- at first through his brilliant writings, and then through correspondence and eventually meeting him.

I won't give it all away. But I will say that this is one of them most beautifully written books of love, conversion and how all the things we love on this earth (romance, reading great books, attending well-crafted films, enjoying close friends, the bonds of family) are but reflections of a greater love, a deeper love which our hearts long for. A love that only the Lord Jesus can fill. And that will only be fully realized when we get to be with Him face to face.

I hope you take the time to read this book some time -- and come to see what the title is all about. When I think of why I'm re-reading this book, and why I was so drawn to read The Great Divorce three times, I realize that what draws me to this literature is that they both describe so well our longing for heaven. To be with Christ in Person! To have all those tears wiped away...no more sickness, death or goodbyes. What a great destination to look forward to!

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." --2 Cor 4:18

I'd love to hear of any books you've read lately that describe heaven and our longing for dwelling there...forever.

Your friend on the journey home,

Jim