Watch for the Symbolism

My Children's Literature class has just finished reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. At the close of our study, we had a long discussion about the symbolism contained within the story. It's truly amazing and easily missed the first time one reads through it. If you have not yet read the Narnia series, I urge you to please read it. The symbolism throughout each of the books is eye-opening.

One of the most powerful scenes to me, however, is not in one of the books, but in one of the movies. In the movie, "Prince Caspian," there is a scene that gives me chills each time I see it. The scene goes something like this:

When things don't go well for Caspian and his army, some of his men try to talk him into tapping into a greater power. Aslan (the symbol of Christ) has not yet made his appearance, so the army (all but Lucy) has pretty much given up hope of his return. Caspian decides to call forth this greater power, not realizing that the power is in the form of the White Witch (the symbol of Satan). She comes forth encased in a great wall of ice that extends from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. To be freed, she must have one drop of human blood. She extends her hand and calls for Caspian to come close. At first, he resists, but soon her charm and magic overwhelm him, and he begins to move toward her. The High King Peter comes rushing in and pushes Caspian out of the witch's reach. Before he realizes what is happening, Peter, too, is under the witch's spell and is reaching out to her. Just before they touch, the blade of a sword appears in the middle of the ice, causing it to crack and then shatter. Edmund (the initial traitor) is standing there with sword in hand. He was not to be bewitched again. As Peter and Caspian stare at the place where the ice and White Witch had been, they are shocked to see the stone drawing/carving of Aslan on the wall. He had been blocked from their view by the White Witch. All is quiet. The moment is sobering.

Isn't that how Satan works in our lives. When God isn't working as fast as we think He should, we go looking for other options. Satan will certainly provide those options. Not only that, but he will get us so focused on those other ideas that we lose all sight of God and His will for our lives. We become distracted and sidetracked. In the end, we're so far away from where God wants us to be, and we probably missed out on the blessing we could have had if we had only waited for Him to work.

Each time I see that scene in the movie, I bow my head and ask God to forgive me for all the times I go my own way. I don't want to be distracted. I want to follow Him and to wait for Him.

Again, I urge you to read through the Narnia series and also watch the movies. While they don't completely follow the books, they are quite close and still contain a great deal of symbolism.