According to the dictionary, the adjective “ready”
has a few meanings:
1. In a suitable state for an activity, action, or
situation; fully prepared.
a.
(of a thing) made suitable and ready for
immediate use
b.
keen or quick to give
c.
in need of or having a desire for
d.
eager, inclined, or willing to do something
e.
in such a condition as to be likely to do something
2. Easily available or obtained; within reach
Am I ready?
This has been the question I’ve been pondering since last
week – when, yet again, a story struck me with the truth I needed to be reminded
of. There is something so poignant about
stories, isn’t there? Stories have a
unique ability to not just tell us truth – but also to
develop a love for the truth in us.
On my 9 hour road trip just a few days ago, I listened (yet
again :)) to the Chronicles of Narnia.
The interactions of people and creatures with Aslan, the Great Lion,
nearly always bring me to tears. These
fictional books, written by C.S. Lewis, are meant to be in part an analogy to
the Christian life – and Aslan is meant to represent Jesus Christ.
This trip, I listened to the book, The Magician’s Nephew. And as I drove in the darkness and thought of
the things ahead of me and behind me (literally and figuratively :)), this following
scene struck me.
“Well, I don’t see what I can do,” said Digory. “You see, the Queen ran away and – “
“I asked, are you ready?” said the Lion.
“Yes,” said Digory. He had had for a second some wild idea of saying, “I’ll try to help you if you’ll promise to help my Mother,” but he realized in time that the Lion was not at all the sort of person one could try to make bargains with. But when he had said, “Yes”, he thought of his Mother, and he thought of the great hopes he had had, and how they were all dying away, and a lump came into his throat and tears in his eyes and he blurted out:
“But please, please – won’t you – can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?” Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.
“My son, my son,” said Aslan. “I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another. But I have to think of hundreds of years in the life of Narnia. The Witch whom you have brought into this world will come back to Narnia again. But it need not be yet. It is my wish to plant in Narnia a tree that she will not dare to approach, and that tree will protect Narnia from her for many years. So this land shall have a long, bright morning before any clouds of doubt come over the sun. You must get me the seed from which that tree is to grow.”
“Yes, sir,” said Digory. He didn’t know how it was to be done, but he felt quite sure now that he would be able to do it. The Lion drew a deep breath, stooped its head even lower and gave him a Lion’s kiss. And at once Digory felt that new strength and courage had gone into him.
“Dear son,” said Aslan, “I will tell you what you must do…”
Dear friends – we live in a world of brokenness. It has been so evident in the past months. All of us are broken and have a part in the brokenness.
Like Digory, we may be unsure of what we can do. How do I love people around me? Will heartbreak never end? How can I reach outside of myself when I
inwardly struggle with sorrow and hurt?
Does God even see me? What could
I possibly do to help the world?
God doesn’t ask us if we are strong enough.
He asks us if we are READY.
For, you see, like Digory, if we look into the face of
Jesus, we will find compassion. We will
find Someone who not only knows our sorrows, but weeps with us in them. John 11 tells us the story of Jesus weeping
at the tomb of Lazarus, a man whom He was about to raise from the dead. The Author of Life, even as He is in the process
of renewal, takes time to meet us in sorrow and let us know that we are not
alone.
But, also, like Digory, if we look into the face of Jesus,
we will find strength. We find Someone
who is strong enough to help us overcome.
This Defeater of Death is not unaware of what we are walking through…He
is more than a conqueror, just as we can be (Romans 8:37). We will find strength and courage when we spend time looking at Jesus, realizing what He has already done for the world...allowing ourselves to dwell on His unimaginable love for us. We, too, like Digory, can experience the "kiss" of the Lion when we see the cross.
We just have to remember that the strength we seek doesn’t come
from us. There are moments when we will be
unsure what to say, how to respond, what next steps to take, etc.
I don’t know what is on your horizon. I am about to start another school year as a
teacher – and after 10+ years of teaching, the unknowns are greater than the knowns. I’m not sure what to expect in my job, in my
country, in the world.
But, God doesn’t ask me to understand everything.
He asks me to be spending enough time with Him so that I
will hear what He asks me to do. I can
be fully prepared and within reach of the Master’s hand even as I struggle with
the brokenness both inside me and around me.
He asks me to be ready.
And with His help, I know I can be.
We all can.
