Sehnsucht

Romantic longing - Sehnsucht - had played an unusually central part in my experience. Such longing is in itself the very reverse of wishful thinking: it is more like thoughtful wishing.

-C.S. Lewis, introduction to Dymer, 1950

It's the word to describe what you cannot quite put into English words. The longing for more, and not just more of anything, but a spiritual, deep longing which, for Lewis, did not come about as what he was experiencing until he became a Christian. Then he understood that what he had always been longing for, this sense of what he called "northernness" (see my post about Nothernness here), could not be satisfied by anything in this world. This is the defining point of his conversion to Christianity. His realization that if our deepest longings cannot be satisfied in this world, then we must be made for another world. And in that, Christianity was the answer that finally put all the puzzle pieces together for Lewis. All his great myths were actually true here.

Lewis' reversal of wishful thinking to a more desirable thoughtful wishing provokes the notion of being more intentional in deeds. The connotation of wishful thinking sort of promotes a lackadaisical approach to pursuing goals and dreams. One might say "it was wishful thinking that I'd get a ticket to the concert" which doesn't imply much seriousness or deep implications that would affect one's life.

However, this idea of thoughtful wishing is like cleaning smudgy glasses and putting them on to see the wishes in a new, clear view. I envision contemplation and thoughtful musing about one's longings. Whenever one is thoughtful about something which is deeply important to them, they reflect within themselves and their beliefs, which are at their core. In turn, this helps them realize what is most important to them.

Sehnsucht is part of all of us. We all long for what we do not have. We hope for what we do not have. But the depth of the sehnsucht longing is the kind that can only be satisfied through our Creator, which leads us to pursue keeping faith in God and hope in our eternal life with Him, where the sehnsucht will at last be satisfied.

Until then, sehnsucht reminds me of staying in faith and keeping God at my center all the time. To trust in what I cannot yet see. In fact, there is much more to life than what is seen here in this world.