Screwtape Letters

In this reading, Screwtape (the uncle devil) is teaching Wormwood (the nephew devil) about how to lead the patient (the human being) to hell. Screwtape explains that the devil must introduce a change of direction at first and slowly and gradually lead him to hell without letting the patient know about it. The devil was so much smarter than I thought he would be. All the methods and ways to lead the patient to hell are so well planned out, and they all actually make sense. In this letter, Screwtape mentions that "As long as he (the patient) retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago." I read this, and I realized that it had actually happened to me. There were times that I would just go to church because I had been going there every Sunday since I was little. Going to church was just a habit. I would go to church and sit with my friends and as soon as the preacher starts talking, I would also start doing other stuffs. I would start sending notes to my neighbor friends and start talking to them. I would be texting with friends. I would even take pictures with friends, and even if I wasn't doing anything else, I was not listening to the sermon. I would laugh not because of the joy I felt while listening to the sermon, but laugh because of the fun and excitement of being with friends. I would still call myself a Christian. Those little sins that seemed to be trivial and revocable was driving me away from God. I sometimes thought that I shouldn't be like that. Yet, when I went back to church, I would be doing the same stuffs anyway, because not listening to the sermon had become into a habit. In the letter it says that "Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.." This is so true, and I think that's why we have to be more careful for what we do every single day.