Are You Willing To Go It Alone?

I just watched ‘Prince Caspian’ where C.S. Lewis draws a very challenging picture of our walk with Christ. When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy try to find the crossing of the river to go and help Prince Caspian, Lucy sees Aslan the lion, who is symbolic of Christ. She tells the others that she has seen him and he is telling them to go that way. But the way looks impossible – down a tall cliff with no visible path, and they don’t see him. So they don’t believe her and go a different way. After a long journey the other way they get met with arrows fired at them and have to quickly retreat. They end up going back the way that Lucy told them to, having delayed their journey considerably by their detour. Later on Lucy meets Aslan and tells him that she would have followed him, but the others didn’t believe her.

Here is what happens next, from the book: ‘From somewhere deep inside Aslan’s body there came the faintest suggestion of a growl. “I’m sorry,” said Lucy, who understood some of his moods. “I didn’t mean to start slanging the others. But it wasn’t my fault anyway, was it?” The Lion looked straight into her eyes. “Oh Aslan,” said Lucy, “You don’t mean it was? How could I – I couldn’t have left the others and come up to you alone, how could I? Don’t look at me like that… oh well, I suppose I could. Yes, and it wouldn’t have been alone, I know, not if I was with you. But what would have been the good?” Aslan said nothing. “You mean,” said Lucy rather faintly, “that it would have turned out all right – somehow? But how? Please, Aslan! Am I not to know?” “To know what would have happened, child?” said Aslan. “No. Nobody is ever told that.” ‘

I think many times in the Christian life God calls us to do something, just like Aslan called Lucy to go that way. But we don’t go because other people don’t agree or do the same, and we are scared of going by ourselves. This has challenged me every time I’ve read it or watched it to remember that I CAN go by myself. And I SHOULD if it is something I am sure God is telling me to do. He will be with me – it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or does.