03.06.2008

Hello!

How are you? I hope that things are well and that the Lord is teaching you many things. It would seem that I am perpetually busy, and in being so busy there are always many things that I just want to write about.

Since I’ve never read the books before I’ve recently been going through the Chronicles of Narnia and just finished up with Prince Caspian. It doesn’t take lot for someone to say that these stories are delightful, and it’s actually quite nice to take a break from all the other books I read. So far I think the most striking scene I’ve read has been out of ‘The Horse and His Boy,’ the third (second) book from the series.

The main character from this book is a boy named Shasta who has a chance meeting with a talking horse from Narnia named Bree (they aren’t in our world, but the Narnian world). Since he wants to get away before he’s sold as a servant and since the horse wants to escape back to Narnia, they set out on the adventure together. Late in the book after dangerous mishaps, Shasta finds himself riding a horse (not Bree) in a dense fog. He starts to pity himself because he’s lost and can’t see at all in the fog. Suddenly, he realizes that there is a Thing walking with him – although fearful at first, Shasta eventually comes in dialogue with It and shares his sorrows with It.
After a key revelation, Shasta asks, “Then it was you who wounded [my friend]?”
“It was I.”
“But what for?”
“Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”


The last line said by the Voice reminds me of the following passage:

John 21:17-18, 21-22
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
When Peter saw [the disciple whom Jesus loved], he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."

How often do we compare ourselves with others or question what God might be doing because we want to know why He does the things He does? Why does one have lifelong sickness, and the other does not? Why do I have to go through this, and that person doesn’t? Why does she have, and I don’t?
I think a lot of the time it doesn’t make sense to us that God would allow certain suffering in a person’s life, and that might even cause us to question God’s intentions. But, what is it to us? We must follow Christ. The point Jesus makes to Peter is that he needed to follow Him and keep his eyes on Him. The Voice makes the point that we only have our story and we’re given no other; the path we’re on is different than that of someone else. God has different things set before us to teach us in different ways. What we can offer is not questioning or jealousy, but Christ-likeness: joy in our different paths, comfort in sorrow, prayers and worship of God throughout.

I pray that we can be people who appreciate the paths given to us, though sometimes difficult and confusing. But through those times I also pray for strength, so that we can turn and continue to praise our God. I also pray that the Holy Spirit can teach us to not compare ourselves with others which can lead to jealousy, but that we can be content with what God has given us. May we follow Christ and seek Him first, not looking aside to follow other things.

In love and in Him,
Your sister,
Yvonne