I was visiting my sister-in-law. Glenda was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, at a time when shunt operations were still experimental and nobody survived them. Her parents had decided not to approve the operation and pray instead. The water on her brain stopped being produced and her head stopped growing. She survived, and brought such joy to our lives during her 41 years. (I might write more about her in a later post.) Her reading level was about a grade 6 or 7 but her comprehension was around grade 3 or 4.
Somebody had given her the entire set of CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. I'd heard of the books, knew they were allegory, but had never read them. She saw my interest and said I could borrow them: "I'll probably never read them," she said. So I took them home.
For two weeks I devoured those books, one after the other. They transported me to Narnia, a mythical place where Aslan the lion was king, where the animals could talk, and where sons of Adam and daughters of Eve were kings and queens.
Shortly after that I discovered the 70's group, The 2nd Chapter of Acts. And I found out they'd done a tribute to CS Lewis' 2nd Narnia book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." My favorite scene in that book is when Aslan rescues Edmund from the White Witch's clutches and talks to him. (Soon after, if you've read the book or seen the movie, Aslan fulfills his part of the deal to redeem Edmund - by dying for him.) So when I heard Edmund's song on the 2CA album, (ok - vinyl, that dates me) it touched something deep in me.
Here's the song -
I love that line - "I've looked in Aslan's eyes, now fears can't hide my lies..."
There is something about Jesus (we all know who Aslan is) that reaches past those fears, exposes the lies of life lived from the outside in (religion, in other words) and grants the simple joy of sins forgiven, erased as though they never existed. I need to be reminded of it. Often.
I can hear His roar of love.
I have yet to read anything by CS Lewis. I keep saying I'm going to, but never seem to get around to it.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a cat named Aslan. He looked like a little lion. He had that name already when I got him, and at the time I didn't know where the name came from.
Thanks for checking back, Little M! The richness of the Narnia stories is cumulative. There are 7 books in the chronicles; each can stand alone but they make more sense when read in order.
ReplyDeleteCS Lewis is deep ... so I find Narnia is more accessible than perhaps his famous treatise "Mere Christianity". It's worth a read. If you like allegory at all, I highly recommend the Chronicles.
You have me even more interested now!
ReplyDeleteHee hee...
ReplyDeleteI was on such a cloud when I read Narnia for the first time. It lasted for about 3 weeks afterward. Like a spiritual "buzz."
Then one of my kids got me the chronicles all in one book (about 3 inches thick in all) for Christmas, and so this past Christmas holiday I went back and revisited Narnia. Enchanting, with depths of meaning I had not picked up on the first read through. As with the first time, I couldn't put the stories down - I saw Aslan create Narnia, redeem Edmund, and conquer the White Witch. I sailed the seas with Prince Caspian, went journeying with the Horse and his Boy, tagged along on a rescue mission with Puddleglum the marsh wiggle to rescue the abducted crown prince in The Silver Chair, and fought alongside the kings and queens in The Last Battle.
If pressed, I couldn't pick a favorite.