For what comes is Judgment: happy are those whom it finds labouring in their vocations, whether they were merely going out to feed the pigs or laying good plans to deliver humanity a hundred years hence from some great evil. The curtain has indeed now fallen. Those pigs will never in fact be fed, the great campaign against White Slavery or Governmental Tyranny will never in fact proceed to victory. No matter; you were at your post when the Inspection came.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lewis argues that divine judgment values faithfulness in daily duties regardless of their scale or ultimate outcome.
- In plain terms
- It matters that you did your job well when the end came, not if your plans succeeded.
- What can you take from it?
- Stay faithful to your duties even if results are uncertain.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you measure a life well spent?
- What is your post when life ends?
Another view
The metaphor assumes a specific theological concept of final inspection.
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