The Clock is Ticking

This morning, I've been watching Prince Caspian. I hadn't yet seen the movie, just never had time to hit the theaters when it was there, so I'd bought the DVD during the week. I love The Chronicles of Narnia books. I re-read the whole series about once a year, beginning to end. In story order rather than the publishing order. I guess reading isn't really the right word, though. Actually, I devour them. They take me back to when I was little, listening to my 4th grade teacher read them to us a chapter at a time. But they also fill me with hope.

Last night I watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Regardless of whether C.S. Lewis intended to fill the books with Christian symbolism, it's there. It's really not hard to find it, and it doesn't take an active imagination to see it. It warms me to see it, reminds me that Christians, true Christians, cannot help but have Christ seep into everything they are and do.

I love the credits version of Switchfoot's song "This is Home." From those lyrics..

So everyday starts with a magic spark,
I've got my hopes high with second start,
we are miracles, every breath is magic...
So you give yourself away, with your miracle heart,
yeah, just to be alive is a magic art,
we are miracles, every breath is magic...

Aren't those beautiful? It's such a simple way of thinking about ourselves.

Recently, I was asked how I get through tough times. It's not secret, to those who know me, what my greatest pain is right now. To get through, I remind myself to breathe, and to be thankful that I can. And, frankly, it's a miracle that I can hurt, that I can cry over what upsets and scares me.

I can't really explain why, but Prince Caspian had me crying this morning. Towards the end, when I knew how the story would end, and that High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy would be leaving Narnia again. And knowing that, as the story plays out in the books, Peter and Susan will never return there, because they will have grown up too much. What started as a trickle of tears quickly became great gulping sobs.

We do that, though, don't we? We outgrow childlike faith. Or think we do. Wouldn't be amazing if Peter and Susan could return, this time bringing their own children with them?

As an aside...

C.S Lewis's famous series of children's stories were published between 1950 and 1956, in the following order:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

2. Prince Caspian(1951)

3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

4. The Silver Chair (1953)

5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)

6. The Magicians Nephew(1955)

7. The Last Battle (1956)

All current editions of the books, however, number them in a slightly different order (this is the story order):

1. The Magicians Nephew

2. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

3. The Horse and His Boy

4. Prince Caspian

5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

6. The Silver Chair

7. The Last Battle

I found this information in the article "In What Order Should the Narnia Books Be Read?"
By Andrew Rilstone