"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. An when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know-if you've ever picked a scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away."-Voyage of the Dawn Treader, pg. 90
I am currently on a quest to read through the entire Chronicle of Narnia series. This has been the catalyst to many things (not excluding an immense interest in Royal Monarchy, Medieval Times, Dragons, and European history). I have seen the power and love of Jesus poured into the very real character of Aslan, I have felt like the selfish Edmund, I have wanted to be brave and noble like Digory, and have seen the real discrepancy (and consequence) between a life lived right and wrong. And it was there with those very sentiments that I ran across Chapter VII of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader., approximately page 88, the story of Eustace turning into a dragon.
Not only is the story of Eustace becoming a dragon too easily paralleled to our own selfish lives but also his transformation back to a boy easily compared to redemption and forgiveness.
The above quote came after Aslan instructed now Dragon Eustace to undress before bathing in this water he brought him to. Eustace tries unsuccessfully three times to peel his scaly, thick, snake like skin off. He had thought he succeeded each time because some actually came off. But, sure enough, every time we went and looked at himself in the water's reflection, it was still there.
Dang. How many times are we trying to peel our ugly layers off? (That is, of course, when we aren't busy hiding them instead). How many times do we attempt by brute force to fight and conquer and get rid of the things we recognize are deep rooted sin nature in ourselves. And how many times does that actually work?
How many times, instead, do we lay, vulnerable and ready for the possible pain, in front of the claw of Aslan?
Galatians 3:3 "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"
And Aslan let him try. Three times he went about that nonsense was Aslan watched. Then He says, "You will have to let me undress you" although Eustace was afraid of his claws, he was desperate. He badly wanted to bathe in that water.
And the pain was awful, but the skin came off
"Well, He peeled the beastly stuff right off-just as I thought I'd done it by myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt-and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me-and I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on-and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm (the consequence of his selfishness and greed)." pg. 90
The changes Eustace underwent began at his most vulnerable point. Although he pretended to be better than the others on the ship and angry, he was really, at the heart and when no one was around, just sad and lonely and wanting love (sound familiar?) But make no mistake, these changes were not authored by Eustace himself but by Aslan. And it wasn't black and white or completely over after the bathing moment. Many times, the fight is daily. Many times, there is no neat linear motion. The book goes on to say,
"To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But most of those I shall not notice. The cure had begun" pg. 93.
And here is where I want to point out a very real truth against a very deep lie. In case you forget, as I often do, just because sometimes you doubt, get weighed down, don't listen to truth, or do it your own way does not mean you don't love Him, are not His child, or are not winning in the big picture. He's bigger than your hot mess. He's bigger than your inconsistencies. You see, Paul said it best when he wrote, "
"I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his UNLIMITED PATIENCE" 1 Timothy 1:6 (that scripture is hysterical to me)
Be willing to feel the pain that's needed to peel off the layers.
Save your energy, you can't peel them off or get rid of them yourself.
So, get under the claw of Aslan, the only place real transforming power lays.
xoxo,
mp
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