Lessons from Narnia

I read "The Last Battle" a while ago and a section from the book has been coming to mind recently. I thought I would share the text and let you come to your own conclusions about the message.

This is near the end of the book when one of the characters discovered that he had been worshiping the wrong god all of his life. Here is his encounter with Aslan.

"So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich, and his size was an elephant's; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroe of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said "Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou has done to Tash, I account as service done to me.

Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou has done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he say the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."

Pet Peeve

So I've discovered that one of the things that really makes me angry is men who obsess over their weight, or even worse, MY weight (or any other female.) Don't get me wrong here. I think it's very important to be healthy and to eat good foods and stay active. However, there is a line. And it's a line that people really shouldn't be crossing when they don't know you all that well. Someone I know said outloud today that he thinks his wife should lose weight. And he tells her this. Now, I'm all for open communication. And sometimes the people you love do have to tell you when you are doing unhealthy things. But still, tact is important. Noone should feel like less of a person or unattractive just because they don't meet society's image of what a woman or a man for that matter should look like. Again, it's important to be healthy. But it's also important to be loving and to treat each other with respect. And commenting on someone's weight and what they should and shouldn't eat is more often than not, very hurtful. If I want to make popcorn with lots of butter, let me. If my friend wants to have an afternoon snack of ice cream, let her. Unless you are genuinely speaking out of concern for a very close friend or loved one, another person's eating habits is none of your business. Okay, getting of my soapbox now...

Weekend activities

Heather and I went to Hilton Head this weekend. It was lots of fun. :)