Apr 30 2009
A Lesson from the Wardrobe: Why We Can’t Go Back.
As a life-long C.S. Lewis fan, I always enjoy taking a minute and reflecting on the many contributions he made to Christian Mysticism. I especially enjoy addressing the lessons inferred amidst his fictional writings. One of my favorite mystical lessons, is the lesson of the wardrobe. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis teaches us a great lesson about seeking a relationship with the Living God… you can’t find God in the same place twice.
“I don’t think it will be any good trying to go back through the wardrobe door to get the coats. You won’t get back to Narnia again by that route… Yes, of course you’ll get back to Narnia again someday… But don’t go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don’t try to get there at all. It’ll happen when you’re not looking for it.” – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the Professor talking to the children who just left Narnia.
Everyone who seeks after God, has encountered Him at some point in their lives. There is always some point where God’s presence is so clear, that we ever wondered why we doubted. But then the moment passes, and passes, and fades. After a while we wonder if we experienced it at all. In an existential panic, we try to recreate the experience, only doing more to prove to ourselves it never happened in the first place.
Let’s take the Professor’s advice here. We should no go back and look for God where we previously encountered Him, rather we should move forward without looking at all. Where would Moses have been had be returned to the burning bush for a fresh dose of prophetic inspiration, rather than moving forward with the task he had already been given? Where would Paul have been traveling back to Damascus to look for a bright light? Our encounters with the Divine are singularly unique, and it is our fault, not God’s, that we forget them so easily.
It is also part of how God encourages our continual growth and maturity. If God stayed in the same place, so would we. Rather, God reveals Himself at moments we need Him most, then moves on, hoping we will continue to seek Him. As we move on, out of obedience, we find God without looking, and in a way we had never experienced before.
This a kind of holiday tradition of mine. Every Christmas season I post this article on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol. It is probably the greatest story told for the modern age and is precious to me and my family.
The never ending debate of nature vs. nurture in modern psychology overlooks a third obvious possibility: choice. Medicine and psychology are chomping at the bit to blame all our actions on genetics, chemical imbalances, or bad parenting… just about anything other than choice. The recent rebirth of the classic Batman comic, The Killing Joke, reminded me that there are two kinds of perspectives people have. To some, all the injustice and hardships in life serve as fuel to excuse their poor and destructive behavior. To others, all those hardships and injustices are just obstacles to overcome and opportunities to grow. 
