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Living in the Shadowlands

In Celebration of Groundhog Day

The Great Groundhog notwithstanding, and with all due respect to the famous critter and his much-anticipated shadow, C.S. Lewis is a favorite author of mine. He often spoke and wrote about life lived in the shadowlands–his euphemism for the harshness of life on planet earth. Who of us hasn’t read or watched the Narnia stories? And if you haven’t, may I suggest you give them a try?

I’ve said many times in the past, and I still claim it to be true, that the first person I want to see when I journey Home (after Yeshua and my family members already in residence there) is C.S. Lewis. I look forward to getting to know this master storyteller and superb Christian apologist. Perhaps he’ll invite me to tea in his library, where I’m sure he’s ensconced as we speak.

The main characters in the Narnia stories are children, but adult truth is packed into each tale. And we all know that truth spoken from the lips of children wallops a more solid punch than that spoken by jaded adults. I remember many times when my children asked a question in which truth lurked–a truth I needed to confront even more than they did.

This blog post is short. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite Lewis quotes. Perhaps when he and I meet face-to-face, I’ll ask him to speak these lines in his own voice. What a treat that will be.

           Photo by Jessica McCartney

Engraved on a piece of wood in the picture is a quote from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The great Lion, Aslan, spoke the line to Lucy in the book.

Courage, dear heart.

The children in the story were traveling into the dark, a place that all humans on planet earth have experienced. The darkness of fear, of loss, of heartbreak and separation.

What darkness have you experienced, a darkness that pulled you under and threatened to drown you or drive you mad? Take courage today, for the same One who watched over the children in the story watches over you.

And from Prince Caspian:

Things never happen the same way twice.

Mull that one over in your mind the next time you find yourself thinking, “Here we go again.” Maybe not. Maybe this time things will be different, better, more clear. Maybe this time success will be yours, or your child’s, or a dear friend’s. Optimism is a gift. Exercise it every chance you get.

And, this is the last one I’ll share today. (You’ll need to read the books to discover the vastness of Lewis’s down-to-earth wisdom.)

   Photo by Pixabay

This C.S. Lewis quote is from The Magician’s Nephew:

Children have one kind of silliness, as you know, and grownups have another kind.

If you’re like me, you’ll take the silliness of children–who are wise in their own way–over that of adults any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Jesus says we must become like little children in order to even see the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3-NIV)

That’s the way I want to live my life here on earth, and the way I want to meet Him in His Country. How about you?

 

God’s pure joy in the presence of His child

 

6 responses to “Living in the Shadowlands”

  1. Kay DiBianca says:

    Beautiful post, Deb. Maybe you and I can go together to visit C.S.

  2. Anita Ciano says:

    Beautiful thoughts! Thank you!

  3. I adore the picture of Aslan and the Little Girl! Is it copyrighted?

    • Deb Gorman says:

      Hi Lisa! Thank you for reading. So much appreciated.

      No, it’s not copyrighted. I think it was free on Pixabay. I’ve had it a long time, but if you do a search on Pixabay of “lion” you’ll probably find it.

      Have a great day!

      Deb

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