I was like water put into a bottle and left in a cellar: utterly motionless, never to be drunk, poured out, spilled or shaken.
–C.S. Lewis

I read that from Lewis’ Till We Have Faces and thought what a vivid image it was. To be water put away in utter darkness and stillness, completely useless, seemed like a terrible existence.

And then I got to thinking: Isn’t that like sanctification, except we’re a bunch of grapes. One by one, He squeezes the life out, until we are only water in a bottle, then puts away into His cellar. It’s dark and dusty; often we’re unable to see and at best only able to make out shadows and outlines. We feel useless in this moldy air. But all the while, God is making wine out of us, and one day, we’ll join Him in that celebration.