C. S. Lewis' Journey to Joy

C.S. Lewis spent much of his early adult years as an unbeliever.  He longed for joy in his life, and found moments of it through reading and writing stories and myths.

Late on the night of September 19, 1931, Lewis was in the midst of a discussion with several fellow intellectuals.  One of them was J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings and a believer.  One of them asked Lewis, "Why are you mysteriously moved by the notion of sacrifice when you read it in pagan stories, but not also moved when you read of it in the story of Jesus?"  Lewis would write that on that night "the penny dropped" -- and he began to ask himself if maybe the story of Jesus was the joy he was chasing.

He would say that he could trace back to that night as the point in which he found his "Joy."  He discovered that it was not joy that he was yearning for, after all.  It was the Person to whom this joy was pointing.  He explained his quest:  "But what, in conclusion, of Joy?    . . . To tell you the truth, the subject has lost nearly all interest for me since I became a Christian."  

He concluded with this:  "Joy is a person, and his name is Jesus."