The Dragon Boy

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I love a good story, don’t you? The familiar narrative of good vs evil has been played out in a million ways from the sweetest of love stories to tales of warring nations. But the ones that really seem to stick with me are the stories of unassuming characters battling their own tendency for darkness.

It has been years since I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia series but lately, I cannot seem to stop replaying “The Voyage of The Dawn Treader” over and over in my mind. In this beautiful allegory, the enemy that the beloved characters face is within themselves. The movie does not do it justice, turning the villain into a green mist that entices those it envelopes, drawing them to the edge of temptation. It’s an Oz-ified version of the Smoke Monster from Lost and it is not in line with the book. But, if I were Lucy, Eustace, and the others, I would want the green mist to be the culprit. At least there would be someone or something to blame.

But we do not get off that easily, nor do Lewis’ characters. Lucy stands, with the power to make herself more beautiful staring her in the face, and she can feel her flesh begging for her to speak the words. She can hear her insecurities whispering the way in her ear. Edmund stands at the edge of a lake of endless riches and his mind runs wild, dreaming of the status he could purchase with the gold this lake could give. His insecurities nudge him from behind. And braggadocios Eustace, always positioning himself as the highest, steps full into an opportunity to make more of himself. And what he discovers is that he has lost himself completely. He becomes a beast, a dragon. The hardness of his heart now worn as skin.

I have felt it too, the hardening of my heart, the threshold of temptation, my insecurities wooing me, softly calling to me to speak the words, hoard the riches, position myself higher. The moments I can feel that struggle taking place are probably good for me. Certainly better than me not noticing the darkness creeping in at all. But we must be honest about our scales. We do not always turn away from the temptation. Sometimes, we step full into the green mist of our own brokenness and our hearts get a little harder and we board up our souls in scaly skin.

But, there is one who comes with compassion. He comes with strength and truth and he sets to work on our dragon armor. See, it was a glimpse of Aslan that gave Lucy and Edmund the strength and wisdom to step away from the temptations. And it was Aslan who was courageous and kind enough to approach an arrogant, obnoxious boy, now enslaved and broken by his own darkness, in order that He might set him free. So Aslan peels and pulls back the scales, causing pain but so that there might be healing. Then raw from the tearing of the callouses, Eustace is submerged in healing water and finds himself once again. No longer beast…neither in flesh or in soul…but a boy with a heart ready to be low, to walk humbly, to enjoy life.

There is One who fights for us. He loves us and His heart breaks for our hardened hearts. It is His joy to loose the hold of the darkness, of the dragon-skin prison we wear. He will heal us though it might seem at first He is slaying us.

May we more often surrender to the first glimpse of our gentle Lion-King and turn to fight the darkness with Him. The first step, in either direction, is always surrender. We will surrender to the Lion or to the darkness in us.  He will have mercy on whom He has mercy, may we surrender to the only merciful King.

Letters to the Family: Angie

Letters to The Family View all 2 comments

Last week, you got to hear from one of my five hundred new internet friends (I still am trying to wrap my mind around how we created a healthy community on social media.) This week, I’d like to introduce to you another of these genuine, fun-loving ladies, Angie Dailey. Here is what I have noticed about Angie. She is a learner. She often is sharing ideas she has come across or asking for input on whatever she happens to be thinking about at the time. I love this! None of us ever stop learning, but some of us are just a bit more intentional in the process. 

AngieIn her own words: I live in rural Ohio with my husband and family. I write at Metamorphosis, my personal blog. (angelinadawn.blogspot.com) I spend my best and most important time with the Creator of the Universe, and with my family. I love coffee, Jesus and gardening, not in that order. I hope you enjoy my letter- the division of women in churches is crippling ministry, and it tugs at my heart. 

Dear Ladies in Church,

I often wonder what it would be like if we all saw ourselves as equals, like Jesus did. I dream of a day when Women’s Ministry is a priority for all of us, fellowshipping with one another and praying together. I have a picture in my mind’s eye of a room full of women of all ages, worshipping and loving, just like we are supposed to do. I see an empty seat and worry about where YOU are tonight. Are you spending this evening alone? Are you so wrapped up in television, socializing or working that there is no time for your church family? Are you hurting, feeling lonely and afraid? Is there something we need to know, something we can help you through? I miss you on an evening so full of fun and grace. I really wanted to share my story with you, and to hear your story. I want to know your triumphs as well as your tragedies. I want to hold your hand when you need it, and lean on your shoulder when I need to.

Forgive me for questioning your motives; I just do not understand the great divide that has become between us as women. The most valuable things I have ever learned, I learned from the generation that is older than I am. There is so much to be shared, learned and loved when we gather as one. We have the power to influence our families, our church bodies and our communities. When we stand united through Christ, we can make such a difference in so many ways, and it starts right here, in our own churches. As women in the body of Christ, we all read the Bible, we worship together in our home churches, and we pray to the same Living God. We drop our kids off at Sunday school, and we hear the message each week, yet we are all so very much divided. I think upon further investigation, we will find we have more in common than we are willing to admit.

I am still praying for the day when all of our physical, political and societal differences can be put aside, so we can spend some quality girl-time together. I would love to drink coffee with you, splurge on chocolate cake and cry over our heartaches. I would love to be a witness to the great testimony of friendship and grace that only Christ can bring into a relationship like ours could be. I would love to walk into any church and know that I am accepted because I belong to Jesus, our most important common thread.

I will close this letter with this- I am missing the fellowship of women who laugh, love and live as fiercely as I do. I see them every week, as you do, and then they are gone until the next service starts. I feel as though I am missing something, and it’s something I have only had a brief taste of. Christian friendships among women are important, and fellowship and unity are part of that. I don’t want to be a part of a small clique; I want to be part of the women at my church. Most of all, I want you to be a part of your church too.

Angie Dailey