This is a translation from “Day by Day”, the Russian book of scriptural meditations:
"Scripture: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt: 20, 28)
"Meditation:
The entire life of Christ is concentrated in these few words: “not to be served, but to serve”. He came not to take anything, but to give everything, to serve all mankind; to do good, to forget Himself entirely, to serve everyone he met; and, finally, to ‘give His life as a sacrifice for many’.
“You say that you want to imitate Christ and you pray that His image be impressed upon your heart. And this is the image, and everyone can imitate it. “To serve” – that is what is required. For this, one doesn’t need to go off into the desert, one doesn’t need to avoid people, but, remaining among them, to serve them, bless them, do good for them, and finally, if necessary, to give one’s life for them.”
This is what Humphrey Carpenter wrote about Lewis in his book, “The Inklings”:
“As he became known for his Christian apologetics, letter writing came to take up a large portion of his time, but he never delayed in answering so that it might be said that he did as much to help people in this way as he did by writing his books.”
Answering the huge numbers of letters that he got was often not a pleasant task for Lewis, but as Carpenter says, it was something that Lewis felt he was obliged to do in order to serve those who wrote to him.
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)