It seems to me that many people live their lives without realizing WHAT they lose by taking the broad and easy path of pleasures, passions, and vices. Preaching a Christian way of life, aimed at choosing a lifestyle of struggling against sinful passions, may seem and often does seem like a way of self-affirmation, manipulation to force a person to act in a certain way. But let us now reflect a little on  the motivation of the one who preaches. A Christian strives to keep the image of God and Christ in his heart and mind, because he loves Him. Such a person from time to time recalls his youth and also grieves, like many, but knows that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

  However, that person who, due to foolishness, or also due to someone else’s negligence and indifference, chooses the path of earthly pleasures and, accordingly, clings to money and comfort, to his own misfortune, “eternal grief, eternal torment.”

  To illustrate, let us consider C. S. Lewis' s exploration of the human struggle between worldly pleasures and spiritual growth as it offers really profound insights into Christian ethics and SELF-KNOWLEDGE. To put it straight, this famous author cautioned that, “If you are looking for a religion that will make your life more convenient and easier, I would not advise you to choose Christianity”. He also frankly admitted that  a  “a bottle of wine will give  [happiness]more quickly”. And this reflection leads to conclusion that Lewis searched for God' s will about himself which doesn' t promise an easy path.

  In The Screwtape Letters, he creatively illustrates the dangers of misplaced priorities. Through the demon Screwtape' s advice to his apprentice Wormwood, the reader is warned against treating faith as a mere tool for achieving earthly goals. The latter leads to inner emptiness. Lewis suggests that the pursuit of pleasure becomes destructive not because pleasure itself is evil, but because it loses its intended purpose  when disconnected from its divine source. To summarise his insight: the more one seeks artificial or excessive pleasures divorced from their Creator, the less fulfilling they become; so is the cycle of growing desire and diminishing joy.

 Thus, the theme of self-awareness is central to Lewis' s thought. What' s not less important, in Mere Christianity, he challenges the illusion of spiritual superiority, warning that,  “Whenever there arises the feeling that our religious life 
makes us better than others,we can be sure that this feeling is not from God, but from the devil". This statement invites to examine our motives and guard against pride.
 
   However, there' s even more insightful idea here – Lewis' s paradox of repentance. It' s a kind of inner death, a killing of "a part of yourself" and "only a bad person needs repentance; only a good person can truly repent". So, here' s our goal as Christians: to be aware of our flaws, and to be strong enough to overcome them. And thus, seeking Christ becomes a path to authentic existence, to true fulfillment. As he puts it, "Give yourself – and you will find yourself. If you seek 'yourself', hatred, loneliness, despair, anger and destruction will be your lot. But if you seek Christ, you will find Him, and all these things shall be added unto you".

  Returning to the quote, "natural end eternal joy" can be sorrowful. And then, without sorrows, would we be able to pray at all? And if not, then would we remain fundamentally empty and desperate?