To love you as I should, I must worship God as Creator. When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest t all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.
C.S. Lewis emphasizes the importance of prioritizing our love for God above all else, including our loved ones. He suggests that true love for others emerges from a deep and genuine love for God as the Creator. When we place God first in our lives, our ability to love those close to us is enhanced, rather than diminished. This perspective challenges the notion that loving one’s family or friends can come at the cost of one’s relationship with God.
Lewis argues that placing first things first leads to a richer experience of love for our earthly dear ones. In contrast, if we focus on our relationships with people at the expense of our devotion to God, we risk degrading those very relationships. Thus, prioritizing our spiritual commitment ultimately benefits not only our connection with God but also the way we love others.
