Not a tame Lion...





We just finished reading The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe to Kieren and Zoe.  It was so fun  to hear Zoe say "I'm really getting into this!" as it was her first chapter book with no pictures.  They have seen the movie but they really enjoyed having it read to them.  My mom read the Chronicles of Narnia to me as a child and I read them again 10 years ago.  They are not just children's books, that is for sure.  What stood out to me this time was when Mr. Beaver tells the children that Aslan is "not a tame Lion but he is good".  When the kids were around him or heard him being talked about they would get this "feeling" inside, they couldn't help but feel curiosity and joy at hearing his name.  He could be terrifying and brutal at times but also extremely gentle and even playful.

As I get older I find that I understand God less than I thought I did.  Maybe that's a good thing since He is so beyond our comprehension and we're not supposed to understand Him?!  Anyway...I guess what I'm trying to say is I understand less how it is that He works.  Life can be so hard and unfair, impossible to understand.  We pray but don't "hear" anything.  Are you still there?  Do you care?  Is this Your plan?  Are we doing the "right" thing?

Having children taught me more about love than I ever thought possible.  It is also teaching me more about faith than I could have ever dreamed.  Remember when Jesus said "come to me like a little child"?  Yeah, we were supposed to actually listen to that and take Him seriously.  Us "grown ups" have had such a hard time stepping out in faith and moving to a new state without our ducks in a row, without everything lined up.  We don't know where we will be working or living and that is terrifying to us!  When I told Kieren and Zoe that we were just going to "go for it" and the date we would be moving, Kieren says "that's what you should have done all along!"  It's so simple to him, so obvious and uncomplicated.  I mean sure, he's an 8 year old kid without bills and rent to pay, he doesn't fully understand all that goes into this decision, but there is something to be said about the "child like faith".  They're going along with this plan, they see the boxes being packed and they trust us.  They've never been to Michigan, they don't know where they will be living either...but they TRUST us.  They know we love them and will do what's best for them even though they can't see it.  Maybe we should do the same with God?  Well this is where it gets tricky for me because what about the family on the other side of the world who is suffering without food or from the oppression of a terrorist group...they love God too, does He not care about them?  I'm finding that this is one of the mysteries of life that I just don't get and I don't want to get.  I will continue to love God and love my fellow man to the best of my ability.  I will continue to live my life for Him through loving His people, however that manifests itself.  I will struggle, feel pain, get kicked down, get back up...I will question, doubt and wonder but I will believe because after all, He is not a tame Lion but He is GOOD.

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