C. S. Lewis in his well-loved novel, The Screwtape Letters, poignantly describes the strenuous mystery of human spirituality. He does this by way of the character, Screwtape, a senior demon that offers the following advice to his demon-in-training nephew, Wormwood:
Has no one ever told you about the Law of Undulation? Humans are amphibians – half spirit and half animal…. This means that while their spirits can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time means to change. Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation – the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks. (C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, Letter 8.)
I’m struck by the line, “Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation.”
Lewis artfully depicts the bane of our existence as followers of Jesus Christ. Our lives this side of eternity consist of a seemingly endless series of spiritual valleys and mountain peaks… highs and lows that don’t track with biorhythms, hormonal cycles, or bipolar disorder.
Undulation is a phenomenon all its own!
We can sometimes put our finger on why we experience episodes of spiritual detachment and indifference, but often we cannot.
Here’s what we should understand: undulation is a normal part of life.
This is important to understand for two reasons.
When we’re on the mountaintop, we may forget the valley below. We may assume that we’ve arrived (permanently) to a new spiritual level. We may not understand why it’s so hard for other Christ-followers to get there. In other words, when we’re on the mountaintop, we may become judgmental toward those in the valley…“I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else…” (Pharisee’s prayer, Luke 18:11).
The other reason it is so important to understand the undulating nature of our spirituality is because it is so easy to lose heart when we find ourselves in the valley. We assume that we’ve fallen and can’t get up! We become our own worst enemies. We mope around with frowns and furrowed brows.
Judgmentalism and despair – two states of being that we do well to avoid.
Sixteenth-century reformer John Knox was well acquainted with the peaks and valleys. After taking Scotland by storm with the gospel of Jesus Christ, he settled into a long spiritual trough. During that period he offered this prayer, which I make my own during those periods of spiritual coldness and looming despair:
I will keep the ground that God has given me and perhaps in his grace, he will ignite me again. But ignite me or not, in his grace, in his power, I will hold the ground.
When I’m on the mountain, I try to remember the valley so as to avoid becoming prideful. When I’m in the valley, I try to remember the mountain so as to have hope. But whether on the peak or in the vale, I try to remember one central truth above all others: God is our refuge and strength.
Join the Conversation
How do you remember both mountain and valley?
When you read about the reality of undulation, what happens in your soul?
 Chuck Conniry is Vice President and Dean of George Fox Evangelical Seminary, a graduate school of George Fox University, in Newberg, Oregon. Chuck holds several degrees, including the PhD in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and MDiv from Bethel Seminary, San Diego. He is married to Dianne and together they have three children and one daughter-in-law: Krystal, Matthew (and his wife, Ashley), and Nathan. Chuck loves to write, swim, and ride his Harley. He and his family reside in Sherwood, Oregon.
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