Aslan

I have been working may way through The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. There were two scenes in book 6 The Silver Chair that stood out to me in a unique way. The first scene is when Scrubb and Pole meet Aslan near the beginning of the book.

“I was wondering-I mean-could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to-to Somebody-it was a name I wouldn’t know-and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open.”
“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,” said the Lion. (p.23)


Isn’t that a clear picture of the way God calls us to faith in Him? The Bible teaches that because we are sinners we don’t naturally seek God and call out to him, instead we seek to indulge in our sinful habits. God has most clearly called to each of us by sending His son to die on the cross for us. It is through the work of Christ on the cross that we are able to respond to God’s calling in our hearts.

The second scene occurs when Puddleglum and the witch are talking about Narnia and Aslan. The witch has been denying that Narnia and Aslan even exist. She considers it a make-believe story. Puddleglum then defends his and the children’s belief in Narnia when he says “Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I am going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.” (p. 190-191)

As Christians we know that God is real. We know that heaven is real. We know that the world to come is going to be so much better, but even if all that weren’t true I dare think that most of us would want to live as if it was. Simply put this world is a better place if and when Christians live out their faith consistently to be salt and light, ambassadors for the sake of Christ. When we do that then we are making this world and this life better too regardless of what the next life holds, even though we know at least in part what it does hold for all those hidden in the shadow of the cross.