A Year with Aslan: Days 25 and 26 – The Narnian Lords and Aslan Roars

Despite the 24-hour break I’ve taken from my blog, I still have little to say right now.  Fighting this cold seems to be taking all my energy at the moment.  But, feeling a little better tonight, I did take time to catch up on my Aslan reads and it’s really a combination of the two readings that seem to feed the spiritual fire…that seem to challenge me.

In the first passage, we find Shasta (in The Horse and His Boy) witnessing the Narnian procession into the Tarkaan city.  The second passage tells of the power of Aslan’s roar and the varied reactions of those who hear it – fear, excitement, wonder, danger…
And I guess taking the two passages as a whole…Shasta sees King Edmund and Queen Susan for the first time…sees Narnians free and happy.  It’s a life he longs to live, one he’s never really heard stories about until he met Bree (Talking Horse).  And it’s this sight of freedom, I think that pulls him in…and something he finally gets to experience when he meets Aslan face-to-face.

There are passages through Lewis’ stories about Aslan’s roar – how the evil White Witch hated that sound, how at Aslan’s name the Pevensie children felt wonder, excitement, and bravery…how just the name of the Great Lion can stir such emotion…but to hear to voice of the Great Lion…

And the “thought-provoking” questions at the end of these passages bring forward the question why such wide emotions may be raised by the Lion’s roar..and I think a lot of it relates back to the previous passage…dealing with the image and freedom of Narnia versus the “false religion” of the Tarkaans…
When someone knows they’re in the wrong, the voice of authority, the one capable of dishing out sentences and punishments sounds frightening and condemning.  Quite the opposite, the voice can sound quite welcome and beautiful if it’s a voice you’ve been waiting to hear all your life.
To Lucy it would be the most beautiful sound in the world.
To the White Witch, the most frightening.

So, it gets me thinking…what’s the sound of Jesus’ voice sound like to me?  Is it a judging/condemning voice?  Or is it a voice that calls me into a closer relationship?  Is it a voice, with love, that speaks to me with encouragement…
and I think it really depends on the life I’m living.
Am I living a life that’s worthy of the loving voice of Christ? 

And to be honest…a lot of this made more sense in my head…so forgive the somewhat-lack of coherent thought.  Cough syrup with codeine may be to blame!

A Year with Aslan: Day 17 – Lu, You’re a Hero

The scene continues…

“I suppose we’ll have to go right up the gorge again now,” said Lucy.
“Lu, you’re a hero,” said Peter. “That’s the nearest you’ve got today to saying I told you so. Let’s get on.”

I like being right.
In fact, it kind of annoys me when other people constantly outsmart me…or prove me wrong about one thing or another.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can take criticism, and if I’m wrong, I can take being corrected…but when someone outright has to say, I told you so…or you’re just wrong…it’s kind of a pain.

And I really wasn’t thinking about it much, but I guess the whole point in Peter calling Lucy a hero here is, maybe, because she actually refrains from saying I told you so.
The whole time, Lucy knew she was right.  She knew she’d seen Aslan, knew she should’ve followed the Lion despite what others said…
and when, finally, the others realized they’d chosen the wrong way, she kept her mouth shut (for the most part).

It’s a little  different in the movie of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – remember when Santa comes to present them with their gifts and Lucy says, “Told you he was real.”  It’s probably one of my favorite parts of the movie…
but, it’s a side of Lucy that, I think, shows her most accurately.  Sure, she’s written as a character that is brave, is faithful, is pure of heart…but in this one scene we see her as a little sister, tired of being ignored and spoken down to.
We get a bit more of that in Prince Caspian – “Quick speaking like a grown up” – and it’s a bit refreshing to see a not-so-perfect Lucy.  (I think Georgie Henley was quite brilliant in the role!)

But despite the fact that I like to be right, constantly reminding people you’re always right is a pain.  Not necessarily a characteristic I find attractive, or necessarily want for myself.  So, I’ll openly accept corrections, constructive criticism and the like…

A Year with Aslan: Day 16 – The Vote

“Well, there’s just this,” said Edmund, speaking quickly and turning a little red.  “When we first discovered Narnia a year ago – or a thousand years ago, whichever it is – it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her.  I was the worst of the lot, I know.  Yet she was right after all.  Wouldn’t it be fair to believe her this time?  I vote for going up.”
“Oh, Ed!” said Lucy and seized his hand.
“And now it’s your turn, Peter,” said Susan, “and I do hope -”
“Oh, shut up, shut up and let a chap think,” interrupted Peter.  “I’d much rather not have to vote.”
“You’re the High King,” said Trumpkin sternly.
“Down,” said Peter after a long pause.  “I know Lucy may be right after all, but I can’t help it.  We must do one or the other.”

I know the dilemma Peter is faced with.  I know the struggle to do what, ultimately, you know will be harder, but in the end right versus what seems easier at the moment.
I’ve been faced with the mountain and the decision to climb it or not.  Three out of four times I climbed the mountain.  It’s been three years and I’m still regretting that one time I didn’t make the trek.

I’m the type of person that tends to look for the easy way out of a situation.  I hate confrontation, and I hate the unease of struggle.  But there’s something to be said for hard work…for the struggle…because, nine times out of ten I feel so much better about myself having gone through the struggle.
For instance, this two-year job search will all be worth it once I get the ideal job I know is out there.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the value of hard work.  I may not enjoy it, but if I have to do it, it’s going to be done right.  I never do things half-way, never.  If I have a job, I’m going to do quality work – whether I’m just cashiering or whatever…
But, sometimes…just sometimes…the easy way out is so tempting. 

Say I’m Peter.  I’ve returned to England after just ruling Narnia for 20-30 years.  I know there’s a time I’ll be called back, but when…
Finally, the horn is blown, and I’m back in Narnia, only it’s not the Narnia I remember.  From the time I’m back, I’m faced with one challenge after another.  All I want to do is prove myself, but everything is going wrong…and where’s Aslan?  Why isn’t he showing himself?

I still feel like I missed out on something spectacular when I didn’t take that last hike in Czech Republic.  I doubt I’ll ever get the chance to make that hike again.  And for the life of me, despite the fact that I kept a promise to a friend, I feel like I really cheated myself out of something…a chance to grow as a person, to really stretch myself in ways I rarely get a chance to experience.

A Year with Aslan: Day 15 – I Just Know

In some ways this scene reminds me of the boy in The Polar Express.  He wants to believe in Santa…but, he has to see him to make it real.  The whole time elves are in the way, blocking his view.  It’s only when he believes…truly believes that he finally gets to see Santa…when Santa comes to him.

It’s kind of  the way with Aslan in Prince Caspian.  Aslan doesn’t show himself until, it seems, the children prove their faith in the lion.  Only when Peter realizes his need for Aslan’s help…that he can’t do it all alone…does Aslan appear to him.

I’ve never seen a burning bush.
I’ve never heard an audible voice telling me to take off my shoes because the ground on which I’m standing is holy.
I’ve never seen a man walk on water, or change water into wine, or even make a leper well.

I have experienced the power of prayer in a healed migraine.
I have felt the warmth of God’s whispered assurance.
I’ve felt the confidence of knowing what I’m doing is within God’s will.
I’ve never seen God…but I’ve felt God.

So much of my faith has been matter-of-fact most of my life.  I’ve never questioned why I believe what I believe.  I’ve never questioned that Jesus is the Son of God, or that He died on the cross to save me from my sins, or that He rose from the dead three days later.  I’ve read the stories.  I’ve seen them depicted in movies, plays, cartoons…  It’s all been so matter-of-fact.
And I think…when things changed…when what I believe became more than just common place came in those times when I’ve experienced God in a real way…a healed headache, an answered prayer (Quick story: When I was younger I used to be terrified of thunderstorms.  (Even now, storms…BAD storms…make me nervous) – but I remember the weather man saying bad storms would be coming through one night.  I saw the radar…a big red line of storms were headed directly for Cynthiana.  I remember going to bed that night…afraid to go to sleep, knowing the weather was going to get bad.  Storms at night were worse than storms during the day.  So, I prayed that night, really prayed…asked God to calm to storms, and if it was His will, to move the storms away from Cynthiana. – – It never stormed that night.)

So, I’ve experienced God in ways that make me shudder with excitement, joy, and reverence.  I know God’s power in my life.
Would I still believe in God had I NOT experienced these things…had I NOT “seen” God…
I don’t know.
There’s a lot I don’t see, but I know exists.  I can’t see the wind…but I can see the effect of the wind.  I know the wind is working…just like I know God is working.

I don’t fault the Pevensies in their doubt of Aslan at that time…sometimes, God (or even Aslan) uses those times of doubt to strengthen our faith down the road.

A Year with Aslan: Day 11 – The Source of Wisdom

He (Caspian) also learned a great deal by using his own eyes and ears.  As a little boy he often wondered why he disliked his aunt, Queen Prunaprismia; he now saw that it was because she disliked him.  He also began to see that Narnia was an unhappy country.  the taxes were high and the laws were stern and Miraz was a cruel man.

I’m probably not as observant as I could be…
I don’t listen the news as often as I should.
I don’t care about politics in the least.
I take my dad’s word above most others.

I’m not really sure when I really began to think for myself, to make my own decisions, still heeding what my parents said, but ultimately making my own decisions.
Every big decision I make goes through my parents, even now.  I value their insight, their opinions about everything I do.  I value their help in weighing my options…in seeing both sides of the preverbial picture.  But, I love knowing that in the end the decision is mine.  I love even more that my parents realize this and allow me to make those decisions…sometimes in spite of what they think may be right or wrong.

A lot of what I know about politics…most of what I believe is probably because my dad believes that way.  If I don’t know something, I tend to ask him about it.  Most of the time he knows something…
If I want one opinion…I’ll go to my mom.  If I want another opinion, I’ll go to my dad.

But…I can remember (in a round about way) realizing at one time or another that…sometimes….my dad doesn’t have all the answers.  Sometimes Mom doesn’t know what’s always best…for me. 
I wouldn’t say it was a let down…
I think maybe it was more of a….moment of clarity….and….freedom.

Just this week, I was scheduled to have a job interview for a children’s ministry position.  For a week, I’ve had this interview scheduled.  And for a week, I’ve been dreading it.  I talked to Mom about what I was feeling, that I wasn’t really even interested in the job, that I didn’t want the job.  I called Dad, told him I was thinking of cancelling the interview.
Dad looks at both sides of the picture logically.  What happens if I go…  What happens if I cancel…
Mom looks at it more emotionally…how do I feel now…how will I feel if I cancel.

To be honest…
I’m not really sure this is making any sense…or even what direction this blog is taking. 
I read today’s passage…really didn’t have a lot to say about it….but felt compelled to write…something.

I value my parent’s opinions, as different as they may be from each other and as similar or different as they may be from my own.
I’m assuming I have my own thoughts and opinions….I’ve been living at home for so long…I kind of forget what it’s like to make decisions…to decide if and when I want to go out instead of asking IF I can have the car at a certain time…

I am a strong and independent woman….
at least I used to be…

In the end…I cancelled that interview – told the pastor I no longer wanted to be considered for the job.  Logically, maybe not the best choice – but at least I’m working part-time, so I have a little bit of room to juggle.  Emotionally, it was definitely the right choice…