The Whole Problem of Life
On being more in Christ, less in ourselves
This letter is found in Letters on Living the Faith, a brand new compilation of C.S. Lewis’s letters offering guidance and encouragement to correspondents struggling with intellectual questions, personal conflicts, or ethical dilemmas.
To Keith Manship, September 13, 1962
The whole problem of our life was neatly expressed by John the Baptist when he said (John, chap 3, verse 30) “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This you have realized. But you are expecting it to happen suddenly: and also expecting that you should be clearly aware when it does. But neither of these is usual. We are doing well enough if the slow process of becoming more in Christ and less in ourselves has made a decent beginning in a long life (it will be completed only in the next world). Nor can we observe it happening. All our reports on ourselves are unbelievable, even in worldly matters (no one really hears his own voice as others do, or sees his own face). Much more in spiritual matters. God sees us, and we don’t see ourselves. And by trying too hard to do so, we only get the fidgets and become either too complacent or too much the other way.
Your question what to do is already answered. Go on (as you apparently are going on) doing all your duties. And, in all lawful ways, go on enjoying all that can be enjoyed—your friends, your music, your books. Remember we are told to “rejoice.” Sometimes when you are wondering what God wants you to do, He really wants to give you something.
As to your spiritual state, try my plan. I pray “Lord, show me just so much (neither more nor less) about myself as I need for doing thy will now.”
Don’t worry. All is going quite nicely. 1
Letters on Living the Faith ©2026 CS Lewis Pte Ltd.
I love this kind of puts a new take on David when he talks about, give me just enough, Lord, not too much that I forget you and not too little that I steal and commit sin. Also, this is paraphrase.
This is so spot on to what I was wrestling with deeply, not knowing. I’m blown away by the timing too. Just about an hour or less ago, I began thinking of CS Lewis and concluded for the first time, he perhaps is one of the greatest writers of all time for showing us what life is more truly like through Narnia. And now this letter just pulled me from the shadows. Thank you.