I love me some Narnia. Seriously, every single time I go into my closet, I look behind the shirts to see if there's a doorway to a secret world. Every. Single. Time.
And I'm too old to be doing that, but I can't help it.
My third favorite fictional character of all time ever is from the Narnia series, but this character is NOT my favorite character from the Narnia series. My favorite character from the Narnia series is Aslan, and I don't consider Him to be fictional. Do I expect to go to heaven one day and bury my face into Aslan's mane? Not exactly, but it gives me a nice image to keep in mind. I like the image of Aslan a lot better than some of the other images I've seen/imagined of Jesus/God. I wish I were beyond needing such images, but I'm not. I'm pretty sure most people aren't beyond the need for images.
And C. S. Lewis was pretty much amazing with imagery.
So since I don't think of Aslan as a fictional character, I can't say He's my favorite fictional character of all time ever...or my second or third favorite fictional character of all time ever. And I have to admit that it's really hard for me to choose a second favorite fictional character from the series, but I can't help but love Lucy.
I love Edmund, too. As a helpless sinner, I can relate to him better than any other character in the books, although all of the characters besides Aslan were imperfect--even Lucy. It's just that Edmund was the one depicted as the traitor for which Aslan died. That hits home. I perfectly understand Edmund's willingness to betray his own family for just another taste of Turkish delight. There have been times when I have turned my back on God just because I wanted to do my own thing--and once I had what I thought I wanted, I realized how worthless it was, especially compared to Him, His calling, and His unfailing Love.
But there's just something about Lucy that wins me over. She's just so wonderfully childlike. I can just sense that wonderment when she first enters the wintry land of Narnia. I appreciate her insistence that she really did see Narnia, even when her own family thinks she's just playing make believe. Even more than that, I admire the amazing childlike love she has for Aslan.
My favorite book out of the Narnia series is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. There are so many amazing things about this book (the movie was all right, but I really think they missed the adventure aspect of the book by trying to write a new plot for it) that I can't begin to even list them (Dragons AND Dufflepuds???!!! What's not to love?). My favorite part of the book, however, is near the end, when Lucy and Edmund learn that they must go back to their own world and that they're too old to return to Narnia (so that confirms it, then...I really am too old to keep checking my closet). And Lucy says something wonderful. Aslan's reply is even more wonderful.
"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."
I want that kind of childlike devotion. I want to be more like Lucy. She's not perfect; I realize that very well. She has doubts. She has insecurities. She is very human. But the fact that she is imperfect makes me hopeful that someone human and imperfect like me can be more like her. I want that childlike faith. I want that childlike devotion and love for God.
No. You know what? What I really want is to have the relationship with God like Lucy had with Aslan. Maybe I do want to bury my head in His mane and hear His voice tell me that even if I'm not perfect, I'm still dearly, dearly loved.
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