I’m on vacation this week, and it would be impolite not to invite you along. Imagine you’re at the beach: can you hear the gentle Gulf of Mexico waves coming ashore? Can you feel the breeze—which always feels just right? And of course, I have a beach companion, C.S. Lewis. Come closer: look over my shoulder and enjoy what I am reading: Reflections on the Psalms. Let me share with you some choice cuts on why we should praise.
You might think a staid Oxford don would counsel against praise and worship, but actually he had quite a bit to say about why we should praise.
C.S. Lewis on Why We Should Praise
1. From his essay, “A Word about Praising.”
“I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game—praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest and at the same time the most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least.”
