~May Your Light Shine :D~

Monday, February 05, 2007

A BIG THANK YOU to Val for treating me to a pedicure! I now have pretty toenails hee. Had a great time chilling out at cafe del mar on siloso beach, just the 2 of us. We must have more of such girl outings whenever I come back k? Sigh, its gonna be 10 more months... but I'm sure time will fly by, and before we know it, Im back again! And therez always MSN to keep in touch.

Since I have nothing much to do when I came back, I embarked on the mission to finish reading all 7 books of Chronicles of Narnia. As they were written for children, they were a much easier read than J.R.R. Tolkien's LOTR which was so cryptic, I managed to read a book a day.

I absolutely adore the parallel world/ different dimensions storyline. How hundreds of years can pass by in one world when its only a few months over in another. Gets a little confusing as the story jumps from one time zone to another, but therein lies its appeal.

I know many have mentioned how Chronicles of Narnia mirrors Christian beliefs and Aslan, a representation of God. Nothing beats reading the books and finding out for yourself.

Aslan is a lion, who is said to be untamed. He is not safe, but he is good. We all like to think of God who is safe, someone who is love can't be dangerous at the same right? Unfortunately for us who like to focus on the notion 'God is love', we fail to see something that is just as important. God is not only love, but also holy and just. And it is because of the judgement that we will all face one day, that makes His grace all the more precious. God is love, but He is still the Almighty Creator of the heavens and earth, who deserves reverence. Last but not least, human nature causes us to sway towards a god that does our bidding. God cannot be tamed and it is us who is to do His will, not the other way round. Honestly, I wouldn't want to worship someone who does my bidding because that would mean I am more powerful than that person right?

Throughout the books, you cannot miss the running theme of those who used to be bad being turned around and given a second chance to do good. Our God is a God of second chances and no matter how terrible a person is, we have no right to deprive them of a chance to turn over a new leaf. Its easy to reach out to nice people, because they deserve a spot in heaven way more than those hypocrites and traitors. However regardless of what one might have done, we are all God's children, created in His image.

Like many Jap anime, the main characters of the stories are children. Perhaps its because the books were meant for children or maybe C.S. Lewis wanted to drive home another point. In the stories, the children were prevented from re-entering Narnia after a certain age. It seems like Aslan was an age-ist (discrimination against the old, or rather not so young).

And he (Jesus) said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:3.

As we grow older, we lose our childlike innocence, our ability to have faith in an all-knowing God. We get bogged down by worries, limited by our own capabilities and desire to rely on ourselves. So unless we learn to simply trust Him, we are not ready for paradise.

And what is paradise like? Well as the book and the Bible says, when we are there, it would be as though whatever is on earth, is like a shadow of it. Even the most beautiful scenery on earth offers only a poor reflection of the real thing waiting for us. Are you yearning for paradise or are you unable to let go of the things here?

Lydea blogged at 5:27 PM

May your light shine...
in the darkness...