Out of Moab
I was incredibly blessed to be raised to know Jesus. Going to Lutheran school in my formative years meant that I was constantly learning about Jesus and the Bible, memorizing everything from Scripture and hymns to the catechism. It was a foundation that I am still grateful for, even if my theology is no longer Lutheran.
Because of this foundation, I don’t remember a time where I didn’t believe in Jesus - who he is and what he has done for me. But even at a young age, it was a very head-focused faith. I never heard the “personal relationship with God” verbiage growing up –Lutherans didn’t talk like that (at least back then – I don’t know if they’ve changed!) But somehow, by the time I got to my teen years, I saw my faith walk as a relationship with God. How did that happen? Enter the Chronicles of Narnia!
My second-grade teacher read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to us. I was captivated by the story and the characters – especially Aslan. I remember thinking “I would love to know Aslan.” – not realizing then who Aslan was meant to reflect.
It was a yearning that stayed with me, even after she finished reading it to us.
I ended up with my own copies of the Chronicles of Narnia and in the next couple of years started reading them on my own. While reading the whole series, it gradually dawned on me that Aslan was a representation of Jesus. That realization somehow helped me to connect to Jesus on a more relational level.
The Chronicles contained many of the same Biblical themes that I already knew. But repackaging them in a story gave them emotional weight and helped to take my faith beyond theological ideas.
Don’t get me wrong – even now, I still love theology, but theology is empty without encountering Jesus in all of his beauty – and God used the Chronicles to help facilitate that encounter in my life.
For this series, I will be walking through each of the Chronicles of Narnia, highlighting some of the spiritual themes, how God used these works in my past and what He is showing me now. I’ve re-read them many times in my adult years, and different things stand out to me each time. So I trust that will be the case again!
Just a note – there is some controversy about the ordering of the Chronicles. At various points, publishers have ordered them differently – some kept them in the order they were published, and some rearranged them to reflect the chronological order within Narnian time. I will be going through them in the order they were published – because that is how I first encountered them, and it feels odd to read them in a different order!
Whether or not you are familiar with these works, I hope you join me for the journey. Though these are children’s books, there is so much to be gained in reading them as an adult.
“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”
C.S. Lewis
What about you? What is your experience with The Chronicles of Narnia?
And which children’s books would you still read as an adult?
Comment below or contact me - I'd love to hear from you!
I still have my copy from childhood!
Hey, I'm Deanna!
I'll start with the typical introductory details - I live in Wisconsin and work as an Administrative Assistant for a non-profit organization - but those are the least interesting things about me!
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