My Personal Thanks To C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia

A few weeks ago we watched the documentary C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia

While not perfect, this documentary was well done, and I particularly liked the details into C.S. Lewis’s life that I had never known, such as:

  • About his experience in the Great War, as well as what happened to him afterward.
  • The fact that he and Warnie (his brother) took in four children from London during World War II. Can you say “The Pevensie Children”?
  • Details of his courtship I had not known.

The only aspect I found objectionable was that they didn’t end on a clearly positive note of faith after his personal doubts and struggles following Joy’s death. Yes, he was human and struggled, but his faith held firm despite the difficulties, and I think they over-dramatized this.

Personally, I owe an incredible thanks to C.S. Lewis for indirectly leading me to faith in Christ. I say indirectly, because it was exactly that … as much of an indirection as can be imagined.

Here is my story:

Taste And See That The Lord Is Good

February 19th started like any other day, except that I was going to the dentist to get two cavities filled. While there, I was given a shot of novocaine (or something like that) in my left cheek. While the dentist was administering the shot, I sensed what felt like electricity jolting my tongue, and my mouth became numb very fast.

The dentist thought that a little odd, but went ahead and filled my cavities, I paid and left. By bedtime, when my numbness should have gone away, my tongue was still numb. The next morning it was still numb.

What was going on?

It turned out I had received a lingual nerve injury during the novocaine shot. Apparently the needle can sometimes injure the nerves. Sometimes the novocaine can be injected right into the nerve, and scar it. For about 5% of people, the damage is permanent.

Lingual Nerve Damage