This is part of an occasional series (currently it’s weekly) exploring quotations attributed to C.S. Lewis that are questionable for one reason or another. There is an “at a glance” page HERE to quickly see what has been posted so far in this series. Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to read the INTRODUCTION to this series.
“It is a happy moment when our desire crosses with the will of Heavenly Father.”
This appears to be a more recent quotation attributed to Lewis. It is an expression that many people are likely to agree with because it sounds so inspirational and one that is very relatable. However, it does seem that a word is missing near the end to make it flow better (needs a “THE” before the words “Heavenly Father).
This saying is not found in any of the published writings of Lewis and I’ve found nothing similar so far (see related quotations below). Thus, it is likely to be one of those anonymous quotes that a person read somewhere and when trying to remember it, couldn’t recall the author and Lewis’s name came to mind. After all, any expression gains more credibility when attributed to someone famous. However, credit should be given to whomever wrote this quotation (and any other) than falsely connecting it with Lewis (or any other person), or let the words stand on their own if they are anonymous.
WHAT LEWIS SAID THAT’S RELATED (or closest to it):
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
from Mere Christianity (Book 3, Chapter 10 – Hope)
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“Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
from The Weight of Glory (in The Weight of Glory)
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“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
from On Three Ways of Writing for Children (in Of Other Worlds)
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“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
from Mere Christianity (Book 2, Chapter 3 – The Shocking Alternative)
The next quote examined is:
Related Articles:
What Lewis NEVER Wrote (Podcast)
Not Quite Lewis – Podcast Version
Not Quite Lewis – Questionable Lewisian Quotations (Conf. Paper)
This is a bad quote just for the fact that “our desire crosses with the will” of God. “Crosses” conveys to me the image of 2 things being perpendicular to each other, which by extension, says that “our desire” and God’s will are actually opposed to each other. I don’t see that as a “happy moment”! Whoever made up this quote should have used a better word–like “coincides” or “matches”.