My son is autistic. This fact has allowed me to think through certain things differently and more thoroughly than a lot of people. It has forced me to do so. When you have a child that is different than most other children, then you ponder the differences as well as other things.
My son speaks, but he doesn’t speak like the other children. It is oftentimes difficult to converse with him. He plays, but he doesn’t play like the other children. And he tends to play alone and not understand how to play with the other children. He has a harder time completing tasks. And he watches 5 second clips of movies on repeat. We love him and he loves us. He is a big and kind boy that is different from every other boy that I encounter.
And he, like every other boy or girl, is no mere mortal. C.S. Lewis pointed that out in a powerful way.
What Lewis Has To Say
And as I was listening to “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis this statement resonated with me so much that I have been thinking about it for 1.5 days.
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)
My son likes to go work out at the gym with me. And I enjoy that time together. But there have been times when people show their disgust for some of his behaviors. He sometimes hums to himself or blurts out a phrase from a movie or even a Dr. Seuss book. He just doesn’t act like anyone else there. And this same thing has happened in lines at grocery stores or in other places. Thankfully, because he is autistic, so he doesn’t notice. But my wife and I do.
When this first happened to us, years ago, my wife and I would get embarrassed, then angry. But today, more than anything else, we don’t really care what other people have to say.
My son, no matter what anyone else thinks of him, is a human being created in the image of God who will live forever. And all actions toward him should be considered in light of that truth. My son is no mere mortal.
And as I think about this with regard to other people, this idea is always the same. I never speak to mere mortals. And when I say things about other people, it is never about mere mortals. These people will live forever one day either transformed by the light of Christ to such a degree that if I were to see them now I would stand in awe and wonder at their beauty or horrified by their ghastly condition. No human being is a mere mortal.
If I decide to speak ill of someone, I am deciding to speak ill of an immortal person. This means that gossip and slander are a huge deal.
If I decide to care for someone in need, I am deciding to care for an immortal person. That person I helped will live forever, and hopefully my actions toward that person made an impact on that immortal person.
A Presidential Debate
I am writing this a few hours before tonight’s debate. And there are a lot of applications to how our politics play out today. Lewis’s words apply to that as well.
Tonight we will see two men with disdain for each other that are not arguing in a debate as much as they are just hurling insults at one another. That is my prediction. And, most of the people in America will love to see the insults hurled at the other side. They will revel in the hostility toward one another.
But America is not made up of mere mortals. And those two men are not mere mortals. As Lewis said, “it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” What happens tonight is very likely to be an exhibition of horrible behavior toward another human being. There is no telling what one of them will say and the other one is likely to threaten a fistfight after hurling a few insults. But that is not how things should be. Even our politics should be done with an understanding that we are not disagreeing with mere mortals.
Concluding Thought
My son is watching a 5 second scene on repeat as I write this. And because he is no mere mortal I am going to go spend time with him. I will talk with him and possibly play something with him. I will soon be joined by my wife and daughter as well. We will spend time together this evening as immortals that love and care for one another. And because of that, our time together is of immense importance.
Everyone reading this is an immortal that will live forever, either transformed by the salvation given to us in Christ or will live a ghastly existence forever in Hell. If you are not a Christian, read this. I want you to be one of those immortals that will live forever.
And for everyone, Christian or not, order your life in such a way that you treat everyone as they really are and not how you immediately perceive them to be. People used to say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s not quite right. Every person you run into, talk with, talk about, choose to cheat, choose to love, choose to help, choose to hurt is no mere mortal. Treat them that way.
R. Dwain Minor
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