I grew up reading the works of C.S. Lewis. From The Chronicles of Narnia as a child to Mere Christianity as a college student, I have read and re-read many of his writings in my thirty-five years of life. Included in this line up of literary works is The Screwtape Letters, which is a satirical novel surrounding the subject of Christian apologetics. This book’s format is fictional but the novel is used to address Christian theological issues, specifically temptation and resistance to temptation. The Screwtape Letters, which was first published in 1942, features a series of letters from a senior Demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter. Throught the book, Lewis reveals that the purpose of this mentorship is for the uncle to train his nephew in the art of securing the damnation of “the Patient.” In one particular letter, Screwtape expresses the subtle means that will ensure success for Wormwood: “… the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts”.

This is how Satan works. He is subtle. He entices us to take what is good in our lives and make it ultimate. He invites us to entertain “little white lies” that quietly pave a pathway to self-destruction. The Tempter does not discriminate against age, gender, race, ethnicity, cultural context, societal norms, socioeconomic status, educational level, life stage, or any other variable that defines any one of us as an individual. And there is not one arena of life that is off limits, including the arena of health, wellness, and fitness.

I am not the first, the most eloquent, or the last writer to follow C.S. Lewis’ format in an attempt to articulate the reality of this battleground of the mind. I have personally been encouraged by a dear friend that an easy way to discern between a lie from the devil and the conviction of the Holy Spirit is to assess whether or not your “inner voice” is propelling you toward guilt and shame or toward holiness and wholeness. The latter is the work of the Holy Spirit to conform you, while the former is the work of the Devil to destroy you. It is my hope for discernment in this arena that inspired the following letter . . .

My Dear Wormwood,

I am very pleased by what you have reported about the woman’s view of herself. You have successfully introduced society’s unrealistic standards with regard to health, fitness, and body image, all of which are equally impossible to attain and unrelenting in their persistent beckoning toward perfection. She feels lonely and unacceptable, and she is overweight, unattractive, and ugly, but only in her own eyes.

Her inner voice screams criticism and negativity into every attempt she makes toward healthy living. This unyielding voice confirms with each new day that she is a failure, that she is undisciplined, and that she is unworthy of the time and resources required to be healthy. With this preferred post-truth, you have convinced our patient that quitting all attempts toward healthy living is the only viable and sustainable option moving forward. In this vain, she will continue to seek after quick fixes, easy answers, and empty promises to find fulfillment.

Furthermore, she remains consistently unwilling to hear the encouragement and validation of friends, family, and loved ones who tell her that she is created beautifully in the image of the Enemy. She is cynical and untrusting of any “truth” that she reads in His Word. The notion that she is loved, cherished, and a daughter of the King is laughable and certainly only pertains to the women who have achieved the perfection toward which she strives. If you proceed carefully and calculate your moves appropriately, we are in prime position to make even greater progress, for we know that a disconnected, discontented, and discouraged woman is a vulnerable woman.

With this fact in mind, focus first and foremost on isolating the woman. Occupy her thoughts, energy, and time with her “to do” list rather than the people in her life. Let her focus on what needs to be accomplished to such an extent that her expectations are unrealistic and she is bound to fail. Ensure that she values productivity over relationship, efficiency over connectedness, and accomplishment over community. Without deep and meaningful relationships she will be subject to the aforementioned negative and critical voice that helps to prevent her from making healthy choices.

Strive also to prevent her from being vulnerable, even in her most intimate relationships. If we can accomplish this level of isolation within her marriage we are certain to keep her functioning in a disconnected state. She will deny altogether that she was created by the Enemy to live and thrive alongside others.

Let her not look to the Enemy to order her day. May she overlook any insight from His Word that would direct her to His plan. Actually, it is best if she spends no time at all in the Enemy’s writings. Then true loneliness will have been accomplished. May the people in her life, particularly her husband and children, be seen as an inconvenience to her so that she will remain isolated even though she is surrounded by those whom the Enemy has placed in her life to bless her. Let her view them as individuals set and determined to sabotage all attempts she makes toward healthy choices. Wake her children before her morning alarm so that she is unable to workout or spend time with the Enemy. Ensure that they push against her attempts to introduce healthy food into their diets so that she will lose heart and return to convenience foods. Keep the husband busy at work such that she believes it is solely because of his long work hours that she is prevented from being fit and active.

Once true isolation has been achieved, work toward building discontentment. The best strategy is to start with the circumstances of her stage of life. Pertaining to the college-aged and young professional woman, solidify that her value is found solely in her outward appearance, her educational pedigree, and her career aspirations. Then, when she gains the “freshman fifteen,” transfers schools, changes her major, or fails to land her dream job she will be perpetually discontent. For the new mother, convince her that her body will never be her own again. This thought, when not taken captive as the Enemy instructs, will lead to resentment toward her children and what they have taken from her. Let the scars she bears from participating in the miracle of bringing life into the world be a constant reminder of her discontentment with the reality of her life. Regarding the middle-aged and elderly woman, foster the belief that it is too late to make healthy lifestyle changes. Perpetuate the inner thoughts that she has squandered her time and that the aging process inevitably means sagging skin, sore joints, uneven skin tone, and limited activity, all of which are the reality she must embrace. And may all women perceive that those who make healthy choices do so with ease and out of their own willpower with no reliance on the Enemy. And regardless of age or stage of life, if you can entice the woman to fill the certain void between her expectation and her actual experience with bitterness, regret, and shame rather than the trust, joy, and strength that is to be found in the Enemy, we will have secured discontentment!

Once you have ensured that the woman is disconnected and discontent, you will be able to press on toward discouragement. Bombard the woman with images on social media, in magazines, and via television, movies, and music videos that suggest there is only one acceptable physique, that she must fit into a certain size clothing and wear perfectly coordinated outfits with her hair always fixed well and untouched by the elements. Above all, seek to ensure that all women in all stages of life compare themselves to one another. It is well known that comparison is the thief of joy, and joy is what the Enemy desires for all of His people. To steal joy is to ensure that we will recruit the woman to our side.

And for the woman who finds success in the arena of health, wellness, and fitness, make those accomplishments her god. Let them be the very thing that defines her, directs her, and delights her. May her success be frequent enough to propel her toward her new god and away from the Enemy. The end goal should be that this good gift from the Enemy must be transformed into the ultimate gift, the only thing by which she views her self-worth. And even in her small victories of weight loss, muscle toning, and fitness goals, keep her disconnected, discontent, and discouraged by surrounding her with other women who have achieved even more. Employ the very same principals discussed above, and again we will win even the healthy and fit woman.

Finally, on the occasion that the woman reaches out to another sister of the Enemy, it is imperative that these two or three or four or more women find their connection in their brokenness, not in their beauty. Focus their conversations on their rejection rather than their redemption. May wallowing, not worship fill their time together. Prevent them from encouraging one another with Words of the Enemy or the Truth of who they are. We know well that the Enemy is willing to leave heaven to come to earth for the sake of His chosen ones and that he works powerfully through His Spirit. The woman’s day must always be filled with tasks to complete and people to manage so that she has no time to read the Word and will fail to remember that the Enemy is able and eager to be her closest companion, fill her with His joy regardless of her circumstances, and be her constant source of encouragement. This, this truth from the Enemy, must be avoided at all costs.

Your Affectionate Uncle,

Screwtape