Aim at Heaven and Get Earth Thrown In
Stories, Memories, and C.S. Lewis quotes
While the name C.S. Lewis is thrown around a lot, especially in the Reformed community, there’s one quote I’ll never forget and that has stuck with me since I first heard it. It goes like this:
“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.”
This quote is often used in discussions on material wants and the heavenly home that’s waiting for us with Christ.
But, lately, I’ve been thinking about it in a different capacity: memory.
Going Back In Time
I recently started a book called This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. The book follows a 40 year old woman who wakes up one morning and has travelled back in time to when she was 16 years old. She’s quickly fascinated by her healthy and vibrant father who she had recently known as a cancer patient a few months from passing away. The woman takes this “second chance” opportunity to grow in her relationship with her father and make the most of the time she has with him while he is still healthy.
While my life and circumstances are very different from the main character’s in the book, I still found myself relating to her story. I imagined what it would be like to go back in time to 16. To see what my life would have been like if I had made different choices. To spend more time with some people who are no longer in my life. To enjoy those high school years a bit more.
But, then my Reformed and logical and kind of annoying inner voice reminds me that my life on earth is not forever. I’m reminded that, while we’ve been given people and experiences and things to enjoy while on earth, it is not the final goal. Instead, I’m to “aim at heaven and get earth thrown in.”
And I think that’s where I find myself connecting the Lewis quote to the amazing power and gift of memory.
Memory Is A Wonderful Thing
As a natural storyteller (thanks, Dad), I often find myself telling story after story about random events and experiences I’ve had or been told. My university friends and I love reminiscing about our years at Redeemer and the fun times we had living steps away from each other.
There are also the memories I want to forget. The moments I embarrassed myself, hurt someone, made the wrong call, etc. But, even some of the bad memories age better with time and eventually get added into my rotation of funny stories to share over dinner.
Being created with the ability to recall moments, smells, touches, and sounds is one of the best gifts I can think of. There’s a perfume that transports me back to eighth grade every time I smell it. There are songs that are the soundtracks to core memories from my university years. I feel so blessed and honestly kind of emotional every time something triggers these kind of memories and I sometimes long to go back to those moments.
Especially with illnesses like dementia and Alzheimers having the ability to strip people of their memory, I find myself trying my best to hold onto memories - tying them down so that they won’t float away, even if I can’t control the wind. I actually started a separate journal that I’ve been using to write down childhood memories that I can feel are on the cusp of being too blurry to remember clearly.
The desire I have to hold onto memories and do what I can to materialize these moments feels a bit like “aiming at earth.” In a way, I can sometimes focus too much on holding onto every moment and memory I have without being grateful for the life I live and the future that awaits me. It’s also like I’m at a concert, taking too many pictures, trying to capture every single thing without taking in the actual event I am experiencing.
Get Earth Thrown In
In a moment like this, I think of yet another quote that summarizes how I want to conclude. As the wise headmaster of Hogwarts once said, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
I think there’s a balance needed that’s implied in Lewis’ and Dumbledore’s quotes. Memory and earth are God-given gifts that we can enjoy and use. Aiming at heaven doesn’t take away earth - it’s included! We get to enjoy the life, the experiences, the friendships, the smells, tastes, and sounds on earth. We are blessed to have the gift of memory. To recall these moments. But, it should not be the end goal. Rather, we look ahead, to our primary goal where our memories will be redeemed and restored.