This weekend, rather, last night, I finished The Last Battle, and thus The Chronicles of Narnia for the second time. I read it the first time in the fall of my sophomore year of college when I still lived in Missouri. When I still was growing in my understanding of our great Lord.
I don’t think I cried as much the last time I read the series. But this time I identified so much more with specific instances in the character’s lives. I joined them in their sorrows and excitements. This time I grew more attached to the characters. For that I am happy. I love being fully immersed in a book.
Yet, this time, I was taken with the Bear’s character. Yes, some may say he was a bit dense, but I think he was such a truthful character. He did not understand evil. He did not understand the ways of The World (or “Narnia”). (At the same time, he didn’t fully understand what had happened to him after he died and went to his true home — Aslan’s home). Ah, but I identify with this character. I feel so clueless and confused by the ways of the world. I know that I am still quite a child in the ways of both the world and in God’s eyes. There is much to learn. And every time I do learn something, I feel there is even more to learn and thus I feel even further behind in the scheme of things. [I have no idea if this makes sense to you, but to me it does… perhaps that is my fault, I’m sorry. You can talk to me and I can try to clarify this.]
Perhaps my favourite part of the Bear was after he went through the stable door:
The Bear was just going to mutter that he still didn’t understand, when he caught sight of the fruit trees behind them. He waddled to those trees as fast as he could and there, no doubt, found something he understood very well.
Oh, yes. Sometimes the only thing I understand is food. Oh bother. To me, it makes perfect sense. I don’t understand murders. I don’t understand hatred. I don’t understand politics. I don’t understand so much… but food: I understand.
We have all been given gifts by grace, yet I wonder what is my gift? Am I just a keen bread maker? What is my gift? It shouldn’t be something I ponder, I reckon, but how do I hone it if I don’t know what it is? Am I baking bread in vain? Sigh.
Hello.
I want to share a favourite quote of mine from The Magician’s Nephew which I just finished early this afternoon after a tasty bite to eat (a toasted peanut butter and honey sandwich).
The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and hear it, as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves who were singing, and that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing.
“Glory be!” said the Cabby. “I’d ha’ been a better man all my life if I’d know there were things like this.” …
The eastern sky changed from white to pink and from pink to gold. The Voice rose and rose, till all the air was shaking with it. And just as it swelled to the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced, the sun arose. …
The earth was of many colours: they were fresh, hot and vivid. They made you feel excited; until you saw the Singer himself, and then you forgot everything else.