A few months ago, I introduced my five-year-old to one of my favorite stories. When I first read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in childhood, I completely fell in love with Narnia and dreamed of one day finding my own wardrobe with an entrance to a far away land. I imagined Aslan guiding me and guarding me. He was my protector when my imagination got the best of me and I could not sleep.
As an adult, I still reread The Chronicles of Narnia series every couple of years and I particularly enjoy listening to the audiobooks while I am trying to fall asleep. I am taken back to this marvelous country where I spent many childhood days.
Well, one day, I popped in the DVD and let my daughter watch the movie. I sat with her on the couch and watched her watching the movie. I wanted to see her reaction to first experiencing Mr. Tumnus and whether she feared the White Witch. It was a magical experience for me as I witnessed her first journey into Narnia.
Now, there are a few thematic elements to this story to be certain. As we approached the dark scene, I wondered if she would be too scared to watch it. It was always distressing to me when Aslan creeps along in the dark, accepting his inevitable death. Just as Lucy and Susan nuzzled their own faces into his fur, I wanted to throw my arms around Aslan and beg him not to go to the stone table.
After Aslan was slain, my daughter turned to me and said, “Don’t worry mommy, Jesus always comes back.” I was floored that this little person understood the whole point of the story.
"He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2-3).
Let us be like a child and remember that Jesus has given us all the gift of a beautiful faith, and to tap into that connection we have to Him.
Jesus has given us all the gift of a beautiful faith. // @substance_soulClick to tweet
Did you catch this BiS blog post on childlike faith?
Dr. Samantha Aguinaldo-Wetterholm is a wife to Paul, mom to three little ones, and practices dentistry at a public health community center for low income families in the Bay Area, California. She (unashamedly) thinks ice cream is its own food group, loves anything Harry Potter, does not leave the house without wearing sparkly earrings, and is an enthusiastic proponent of the Oxford comma. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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