Humility in Another World

Okay, one more from C.S. Lewis' Peralandra. (Then on to the last book...That Hideous Strength). Elwin Ransom has done the too hard task. He fought Weston and won. The attack of the evil one was turned away. The battle was horrible and it took Ransom some indefinite weeks to regain his strength and to heal. Finally he begins to move around and is called down one mountain and up a much taller one, to a small meadow between towering spires. There he meets the 'angels' that have been in charge of Mars and Venus. They begin to talk about what took place, and of course mention the far more evil tragedy that took place on Earth and the far more terrible and awesome work that God did to destroy the work of the devil on Earth. They say that because of what Ransom has done, such work would not be necessary on Venus.... "Elwin is falling to the ground," said the other voice. "Be comforted," said Malacandra. "It is no doing of yours. You are not great, though you could have prevented a thing so great that Deep Heaven sees it with amazement. Be comforted, small one, in your smallness. He has laid no merit on you. Receive and be glad. Have no fear, lest your shoulders be bearing this world. Look! it is beneath your head and carries you." The words of Lewis are startling and they are counterintuitive. Ransom accomplished a great deal. He just may have save the world (Venus). Yet those more mighty than wee see it rightly. Amazement to be sure. But Ransom is comforted 'in your smallness. He has laid no merit on you. " Oh the joy. Once a great task is accomplished in and by the strength and will of Jesus, we can let Him be glorified. Maybe there is more to merit than we sometimes think. I think merit and hope people will think I am pretty cool, or maybe even wise. I want the merit that causes others to approve of me. But if we work by Jesus, and we don't get that merit, it may be because merit involves more responsibility than we can bear. Who could ever bear the weight of the world upon their shoulders? There is only one. His name is Jesus.