on Aslan:

after a whirlwind of stress, finals, a 23-page long final devotional project, late nights, endless reading, and little rest, i completed my last final of the semester on wednesday afternoon. i went on to celebrate by going straight to job#2 and then job#1 the next day. finally, on thursday night, i was able to see the most recent narnia film, the dawn treader. the symbolism was so apparent and nothing less than beautiful. i could go on and on about how lovely this third installment was, however i will try and keep it brief.

a lion is a perfect Christ-like idea. lions are strong and bold; they can roar loudly and grab the attention and fear of anyone nearby, especially those who know a lion's behavior and character. one would never walk up to a strong lion and assume he has a defense, or try and upset one. he would be fearful, careful to show respect. on the contrary, lions have a sense of majesty and a feeling of complete calmness. they are gentle and beautiful, and the mane around their necks always beckons me to run up and offer a hug.

so then, it is no surprise that the brilliant c.s. lewis chose a lion to represent what Christ would look like if He were in a mythical world. lewis noted that he never planned on adding symbolism or theology to his narnia stories, as they were merely supposed to be light entertainment for children. as he began to write, the themes of Christianity wrote themselves. he noted that because of his Christian beliefs and how deeply they reside in him, he was not able to write these stories without theology becoming a part of it all (source unknown, i read an article by lewis last night and forgot to bookmark it, oops).

now, back to making this brief. i do not want to spoil anything, but this passage shows, in my opinion, the most incredible scene in the movie, and the most moving part of the book.

(confession-i cried in the theatre as the final scene was being depicted).

now, onto c.s. lewis' words, which are much better than mine.

"Oh, Aslan," said Lucy. "Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?"

"I shall be telling you all the time," said Aslan. "But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder. And now come; I will open the door in the sky and send you to your land."

"Please, Aslan," said Lucy. "Before we go, will you tell us when we can come back to Narnia again? Please. And oh, do, do, do make it soon."

"Dearest," said Aslan very gently, "you and your brother will never come back to Narnia."

"Oh, Aslan!!" said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.

"You are too old, children," said Aslan, "and you must begin to come close to your own world now."

"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"

"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.

"Are-are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.

"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."

"And is Eustace [the children's cousin] never to come back here either?" said Lucy.

"Child," said Aslan, "do you really need to know that? Come, I am opening the door in the sky."

Then all in one moment there was a rendering of the blue wall (like a curtain being torn) and a terrible white light from beyond the sky, and the feel of Aslan's mane and a Lion's kiss on their foreheads and then-the back bedroom in Aunt Alberta's home in Cambridge.

-from C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, chapter sixteen "The Very End of the World"

lucy begs Aslan to see narnia again, and Aslan has to let her know that narnia is not in her future. he exlplains that the only reason he ever brought her through narnia was so that she could know him. here lucy is recollecting and thinking of the journeys and incredible time she has had in narnia (surely she has thought of her accomplishments there), and Aslan informs her that her journey was never even about her; it was all about knowing him.

likewise, this is what Christ does for us. everything in this life is about Him, and everyday is an opportunity to represent Him (although i much to often do not adequately do so). it has never been about me, and it never will be. all throughout our lives God has been pursuing us, even before we knew Him or desired to call Him Lord. every circumstance in life (the good and the bad; the joy and the pain) is a part of God's plan for us to truly know Him. if we know Him we have something incredible. romans 8:16 says that, "the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

wow. i told you this was incredible. i guess i cannot keep this brief. after all, the love of God is anything but brief, it is vast; high and low and it never ends.

micah 7:18&19-"who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does no retain His anger forever; because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

as lecrae says in his song "background":

"just let me shadow You. and just let me trace Your lines. matter of fact, just take my pen. here, You create my rhymes. because if i do this by myself i'm scared that i'll succeed and no longer trust in You, because i only trust in me."

now go see the voyage of the dawn treader.