“The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self–all your wishes and precautions–to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves,’ to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good.'”

– C.S. Lewis, ‘Mere Christianity’

November 29th marked what would have been author Clive Staples Lewis’ 116th birthday. Though he died in 1963, he is well-known and well-loved today for his intelligence and strong faith.

Born in Ireland, Lewis spent his childhood creating imaginary worlds with his brother. After his mother died, he was sent to boarding schools, where he eventually lost his Christian faith and became an atheist. Through a strange twist of providence, he met fellow author J.R.R. Tolkien, who became a positive influence to help lead him back to Christianity. The sharp intellect he had previously used to deny theism was now applied to heartfelt evangelism in the form of radio talks and over thirty books, including the beloved and classic series, The Chronicles of Narnia.

The combination of C.S. Lewis’ vibrant imagination and clever rationality gives a sincere, philosophical, but playful quality to all of his writings. There is something captivating and convincing about his words. Lewis’ thoughts provide a refreshing insight into human nature that feels like a revelation, but also like something we knew all along. As he says in Mere Christianity, “Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that.” Rather, Lewis makes the deepest levels of reality more accessible to us.

Perhaps it is this deep sense of reality that keeps drawing people to C.S. Lewis’ works, and will continue to do so for years to come. The Twitter account @CSLewisDaily, which posts quotes from Lewis every day, has 1.18 million followers. The world of Narnia continues to captivate new readers, with over 100 million copies of the series sold. There has even been an album by rapper and singer Heath McNease, inspired by Lewis’ works, titled The Weight of Glory; all the songs on the album share titles with books by Lewis.

It’s nearly impossible to pick the best C.S. Lewis book. Mere Christianity is a gold mine of insights and apologetics. The Screwtape Letters is humorous and revealing. A Grief Observed, however, might be the most compelling, though it isn’t talked about as much as the others. This short collection of thoughts, which he wrote in random notebooks around his house after his wife died of cancer, was first published anonymously. It is raw, unedited, and sad; Lewis lays out all his anger and depression about losing his wife in the form of the agonizing question, “why?” But as he writes on, he begins to understand his pain, and he ends up providing us with some of the most profound insights into suffering to ever be written, like this powerful passage:

The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed—might grow tired of his vile sport—might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless.

This point in particular contains a truth that can get us through our own dark times, as it did for Lewis, and strengthen our faith. As he said, “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” Because Lewis shows us that truth, he feels to many people like a friend, and continues to live on in our hearts. All good reasons to put “C.S. Lewis books” on your Christmas list!