Day 321 Voyages, Sojourns and Pilgrim Roads

Dear friends,

Sometime in December, one of my favorite books comes to the big screen. I have read all of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia multiple times, but my best choice by far is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 3rd in the 7 book series. The opening line of this rich, vibrant adventure is this: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." I am a virulent fan of Clive Staples Lewis (in case you hadn’t noticed), and two of the things I admire most about his art with the pen are his razor sharp wit, and in the fiction realm, his ability to develop prized, memorable characters. Eustace and Reepicheep the Mouse are the two stars of this book (in my opinion as a Narnia groupie), Eustace for his transformation from detestable to humbled, and Reepicheep for his valiant loyalty and limitless courage.

The real meat of this book, indeed of all the Chronicles, is the concept of the journey, rather than the destination. And that intrigues me. Perhaps Lewis’ ripe imagination for the “voyage” was because, like the rest of us, he himself wasn’t familiar with the destination yet. But with the sojourn he was well acquainted, having lived a life full of hardship and wonder. He was injured in a world war, he went to boarding schools which would make the most stony hearted social worker shudder, he lost a beloved wife to cancer. He had excellent, brilliant friends (among them JRR Tolkien), he was an esteemed professor at Oxford, and he had a career doing what he loved. His life, like all of ours, was a mixed bag. But it was wrapped up in the sovereignty of God, and his works speak to that like no other author I know.

The pilgrim road gives each of us countless opportunities to choose. Choose to be bitter or to forgive. Choose to walk in darkness or light. Choose to be God’s friend or his enemy. One thing we are all familiar with is this: there are roadblocks and steep places on everyone’s ramble through the world. They aren’t evenly distributed either. I have no idea why. Eustace Scrubb is a picture of how one can change when one comes face to face with the road they’re on. He may be a fictional character, but the truth of his myth gives me hope. (Now you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean!) As for Reepicheep, well, I want to BE Reepicheep. His feats of derring do make me want to rise up in all my smallness and take on the powers of darkness. Alas, perhaps I should start by keeping my mouth shut when I ought…

C.S. Lewis has made my life better on the pilgrim road. After much searching and seeking, wrestling and stubbornness, he himself came to know the Great Savior of his soul. And now, he knows a whole lot more about the destination. His voyage on this side of the painting is over. He’s living the “live that is truly life” forever. Anyway, I hope the movie version is good. Otherwise, I feel a hissy fit coming on…

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann