Today's Reading
Prudence means practical common sense, taking the
trouble to think out [what you are doing and what is likely to come of
it]. Nowadays most people hardly think of Prudence /as one of the
‘virtues’.
* think out: to think about (something, such as a problem) for a period of time in an effort to find a solution, make a decision, etc.
In fact, because Christ said () we could only get /into His world
/by being like children,
many Christians have the idea that, provided
() you are ‘good’, [it] does not matter [being a fool].
But that is a
misunderstanding.
* provided; on the condition or understanding that.
* 진주어 [being a fool]
In the first place, most children show plenty of
‘prudence’ about doing the things () they are really interested in, and
think them out /quite sensibly. In the second place, as St Paul points
out, Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence:
on the contrary. He told us to be not only ‘as harmless as doves’, but
also ‘as wise as serpents’.
He wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s
head.
He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and
teachable, as good children are;
but He also wants [every bit of
intelligence () we have] to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting
trim.
* be in fighting trim. 격전을 치를 준비가 된 상태에 있다
To be prepared to tackle a
situation, often with an emphasis on one's physical strength or
readiness.
You'll do great in the race—after months of training, you're in fighting trim.
[The fact //that you are giving money to a charity] does not mean
that you need not try to find out whether that charity is a fraud or
not.
[The fact //that [what you are thinking about] is God Himself] (for
example, when you are praying) does not mean that you can be content
with the same babyish ideas //which you had /when you were a five-year-old.
It is, of course, quite true that God will not love you any the less,
or have less use for you,
if you happen to have been born with a very
second-rate brain.
He has room for people with very little sense, but He wants every one to use what sense they have.
From Mere Christianity
Compiled in A Year with C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity. Copyright © 1952, C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright renewed © 1980, C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers. A Year With C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works. Copyright © 2003 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.