“Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.”
Image credits：Aronsyne,”Lewis, age 48″,CC BY-SA 4.0,C.S.-Lewis – C. S. Lewis – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963
- Born in Ireland
- Writer, scholar
- Had a major influence on fantasy literature and religious thought through his many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia series and The Poetics of Christianity
Quote
“Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.”
Explanation
In this quote, C. S. Lewis addresses the common tendency to feel guilty or ashamed about experiencing anxiety, especially in the context of faith. Some people, particularly those in religious communities, might feel that experiencing anxiety signals a lack of faith or a spiritual failing, but Lewis reassures us that anxiety is not a sin—it is a suffering, a natural human affliction. He suggests that, like other forms of suffering, anxiety can be seen as part of the shared experience of human suffering. In the Christian context, this suffering can even be seen as a connection to Christ’s own suffering—the passion of Christ—as Jesus experienced immense pain, anguish, and grief during His time on earth. For Lewis, accepting anxiety as an affliction rather than a moral failing can help us view it as part of the human condition, something that can lead us toward empathy, compassion, and ultimately spiritual growth.
Historically, Lewis wrote about the human condition and the struggles of faith in works like Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. He recognized that suffering, whether in the form of physical pain, emotional distress, or spiritual struggle, is part of the human experience. In Christian theology, suffering is often viewed as something that can be transformed or redeemed through Christ, who took on human suffering to offer hope and healing. Lewis’s understanding of anxiety as an affliction aligns with his broader Christian view that human suffering, in whatever form it takes, can be offered to God and can deepen our relationship with Him, just as Christ’s own suffering was part of His redemptive mission.
In the modern context, this quote speaks to the growing conversation around mental health, particularly the role of anxiety and depression in people’s lives. In a society that often stigmatizes mental health struggles, Lewis’s words offer comfort to those who might feel guilty about their emotional or psychological struggles. By reframing anxiety as an affliction rather than a deficiency of faith, Lewis encourages us to approach mental health with compassion, recognizing that such struggles are a normal and shared part of the human experience. His insight invites us to seek help and healing for anxiety, not with shame, but with the understanding that suffering—when embraced in faith—can be a way to connect with the deeper meaning of life and with the compassion of Christ.
