Born Again

In the C.S. Lewis story Voyage of the Dawn Treader a young boy experiences the conversion of his character from a disagreeable self absorbed child to a caring and even courageous child, Eustace was unwillingly swept into Narnia, Lewis’ imaginary world that parallels the Christian world of England. Eustace was accompanied by his cousins, Edmond and Lucy.

In an effort to separate himself and avoid the other two children Eustace took a walk into a valley where he witnessed the death of an old dragon, and himself turned into a dragon after taking some of the treasure from the old ones’ lair. After several adventures as a dragon, Eustace encountered Aslan, a mystical lion, who is the savior figure in all the Narnia books:

“Then the lion said ‘You will have to let me undress you’ (from the dragon’s skin). “ I was afraid of his claws, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I lay flat down on my back and let him do it. The very first tare he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. . . Then he caught hold of me. . . and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing all the pain had gone.” (Dawn Treader, chapter7)

Lewis’ description of Eustace’s experience makes delightful reading because of the underlying truth in his fantasy: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”(John 3:3) Jesus’ words are as strange to Nicodemus, the man he’s addressing, as the encounter that Eustace had in the novel. Nicodemus said, “How can someone be born when they are old?” (John 3:4)

Lewis captures all the surprise and wonder and change that comes to a human soul at first recognizing the presence and saving power of God in his or her life. He includes the healing of pain, the joy of finding ones’ “true” self, the pleasure of feeling “clean”, the recognition of Someone Else to whom we matter beyond describing, the loving One who saves us.

In the end, Eustace thinks that he may have had a dream until his cousin Edmond tells him that everything that happened to him was entirely real. Eustace can’t help but believe, as he finds himself to be literally “born again” from his encounter with Aslan.

When we allow Christ to take away the crud in our lives we receive yet again “new birth”, sometimes a pain, always a joy.

Love in Him,

Prue