Like a Child

I love the Narnia books by CS Lewis. They are entertaining, colorful, and packed with insight on the kingdom. When I was kid I thought there were just the first two aspects, the entertaining and colorful part. But as an adult, thanks to the recent re-release of the book’s movies, I’ve re-discovered the insight on the kingdom. The kingdom parts are subtle and hidden but they were there and even though I didn’t recognize them for what they were as a child, I believe that they really had an impact in shaping my receptiveness to the kingdom as an adult. I feel like they were training my mind and shaping my values for honor, courage against impossible odds, fighting for justice, and a hunger for the supernatural. Lewis was brilliant by weaving the kingdom into those stories meant for children.

Jesus said whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. That is a pretty strong statement. How then does a child receive the kingdom? Children receive the realm of the unseen with joyful expectation. Children will believe most anything because they have not yet experienced the contrary. Experience is the cruel enemy to a child’s beliefs. Experience teams with Reason, and together they join to kill Faith. Why do you think the world offers tales of Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny while God offers the stories of women becoming pregnant at an old age, of paralyzed people walking, of storms being calmed with the spoken word, and of eternal life? The world lumps all of the things unseen together and then discredits the whole as foolishness, “What makes God any different then the tooth fairy? It is something made up to make you feel good about loss. Come, let us be reasonable. That is your mom’s handwriting that says, ‘from Santa’ ”. On the surface, the world appears right. It does look silly. Like something we believe because our parents created that idea for us. Once you dig deeper, or seek God out, then find out how real it is. Like Paul said, to them it is foolishness, but to us who are saved it is POWER!

So, beware of reason and personal experience, and Hooray for Sunday School and Aslan!

Peace
Jon