Aslan: The Hunger for Truth

Needle felted lion made of angora with details of llama wool and mohair.

It may not be surprising that I think my own children are wonderful, but how many people can say their nieces and nephews are awesome too?  I feel very blessed by this fact.  One of my nieces had a birthday this week.  One of the many things that I think is wonderful about this particular niece is her fondness for the Narnia books and her love for Aslan the lion.

I love C.S. Lewis.  His "A Grief Observed" helped me to feel a little more sane when grief had torn my life asunder.  I have enjoyed other books by Lewis as well.  But, the Narnia series is truly something special.  C.S. Lewis manages to tell the truth of faith in a way that reaches beyond our preconceived notions.  That is what I love about Fantasy/Science Fiction.  Such stories take us out of our usual context and put us in a setting in which our prejudices no longer apply.  In such a setting, we can sometimes hear truths to which our minds would otherwise be closed.

The Narnia books tell of a great, loving, and untamed truth.  The name we have for this truth has been nearly smothered in the baggage of human stumbling about.  Sometimes, as with the Narnia series,  someone finds a way to express this truth without using a name so that preconceived notions may be avoided.  Truth can sometimes be best expressed in fiction.

My niece's love of Aslan tells me that her young soul is hungering for this truth.  In honor of that hunger, I made the above pictured lion for her.  In honor of her hunger for truth, let me also give her these words:  May you always seek the loving and untamed truth of God with an open mind and heart.  Beware of those who shun words such as "mystery" and "doubt".  To think that you understand God is to attempt to put God in a box.  That would be like trying to put Aslan in a box!  Getting a pet cat in a box is not easy (please don't force this experience upon your cat) and Aslan is no one's pet!  Happy Birthday!