Dare We Write it in Cement? (An Extraordinary Love Story: A Severe Mercy—A Story of Faith, Tragedy and Triumph by Sheldon Vanauken)
Have you ever seen anyone staring at a mailbox? I get that. I’ve done that.
Four weeks before our wedding, with invitations in hand, all addressed and stamped, I remember I hesitated at the mailbox. “This is it! No turning back now!”…
Seconds, seeming like hours, passed. Deep breath.
Whoosh…into the mailbox they went.
Thirty years later, I’m pleased to report, John and I are still happily married and yes, we’ve dared to write many things in cement. Two of our homes, a former one and our current one, have had charming water-in-the-basement issues. Upon their repair, new cement poured, we trek down the stairs to write something prolific or silly in the cement.
So why is it, please tell me, so many of us are afraid to make a commitment? Fear of failure, or pride, perhaps. “Blame it on today’s culture…” many will say.
Allow me to offer a brief respite. One into the blissful world of love. Young love. Naive love. Pagan-turned-Christian love. So completely-certain-of-love, this couple you’ll meet would one hundred percent have written their names in cement.
All of the above and more is found in an extraordinary love story, A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. It won the National Book Award as well as the Gold Medallion Award. (A dear friend gave me this for Christmas and I can’t quit talking about it!!!)
Along with such bliss, throw in a friendship with none other than infamous author C.S. Lewis. You, the reader, will get to read eighteen of Lewis’ letters to Sheldon within the book. Favorite discovery? Lewis was quite the crackerjack! He certainly didn’t fear sharing his brutally honest opinion about anything! (And for you happy texters out there, Lewis abbreviates a lot, so you’ll have to crack his code.)
How God orchestrates Sheldon’s friendship with Lewis is fascinating. How God orchestrates Sheldon and Davy’s (her real name was Jean) romance and ultimate marriage is nothing short of breathtaking.
Sheldon’s picturesque writing causes you to ooh and ahh, turning the pages as fast as you can to discover what lies ahead. I found myself floating along the countryside right with them, almost feeling a breach of privacy in their romance.
Voracious readers, poets, lovers of the sea, and music aficionados, Sheldon and Davy delight the reader with their daily antics. Their gatherings with friends are festive and intriguing. Their spiritual path, while comical at times, reinforces how God is so passionate in His pursuit of us. His painstaking attention to detail never ceases to amaze me.
Our Heavenly Father provides just the right person at just the right time to lead us into His loving arms. When doubt arises, as it often does, He brings to mind that special person in whom we may confide. Watching these scenarios transpire in Sheldon’s life is amazing grace at its’ finest. Many times Sheldon shares his questions with C.S. Lewis. Can you imagine having C.S. Lewis as your spiritual mentor?
Sheldon and C.S. Lewis’ friendship was a gift to both of them, especially in later years. Believe it or not, both of their wives suffered from terminal illnesses. They walked these paths together. Don’t miss their journeys.
C.S. Lewis preceded Sheldon in death. Sheldon recalls Lewis shouting across the street during their Oxford days, “Christians NEVER say goodbye! In eternity, there’ll be ‘time enough’!”
Sheldon called C.S. Lewis “Jack” per Lewis’ pleading. He added, “And as Jack said, ‘We must talk of a thousand things when you come.’”
Early in their relationship, when Sheldon accepts Christ into his life, he writes to tell Lewis. Lewis replies, “My prayers are answered!” Then he issues a warning we’d all be wise to heed: “There will be a counter attack on you, you know, so don’t be too alarmed when it comes. The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you. Be busy learning to pray. “
Lewis continues, “Blessings on you and a hundred thousand welcomes. Make use of me in any way you please; and let us pray for each other always.” (I’d drop the note like a hot potato if C.S. Lewis offered me his council at any time, wouldn’t you?)
Prior to Sheldon’s conversion, Lewis closes another letter with, “The Holy Spirit is after you. I doubt if you’ll get away!” Sheldon confesses to us readers that this time in his life “was getting serious” and he and Davy were a bit frightened. He says, “Alarm bells sounded, but I couldn’t decide where to run. The personality of Jesus kept emerging from the Gospels with astonishing consistency.”
You’ll be moved to tears witnessing their faith come alive. Because of Sheldon’s very open and tender depictions, it feels like another breach of privacy.
Sheldon and Davy embraced Philippians 1:21 and Galatians 2:20:
“For to me, to live is Christ
and to die is gain.”
I’ve been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Footnote: for an excellent read on To Live Is Christ to Die Is Gain checkout Matt Chandler’s newest book…)
Without giving away anything else, I’ll end with Sheldon’s closing words about writing this book. He said he prayed almost hourly, “that Christ would be in me, and speak through me.” His prayers were answered…(Also don’t miss how the title came to be.)
He was dumbfounded by the overwhelming responses from readers once the book was published. Scores told him how much the book meant to them, literally stabbing them in their hearts, making them kindred spirits. Sheldon said, “Our broader kinship is, I think, we’re all so alone in what lies deepest in our souls, so unable to find the words and perhaps the courage to speak with unlocked hearts, that we do not know that it is the same with others.” Amen.
“Robert Louis Stevenson said that every book was intimately a letter to friends.”
I pray each and every one of you dashes out to find and read this beautiful love story. It’s February, after all, and this month we’ll discover together a variety of love stories. Love is in the air! And chocolate is filling the aisles at the stores!!!
‘Til next time!