Tag: Narnia

Is God Safe?

I saw the question the other day, Is God safe? And it’s really got me thinking. Probably because the word “safe” had already been on my mind. The google dictionary defines safe as:

Safe: adjective; protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost.

If this is the definition we are using, then I would say emphatically that God is NOT safe. No, I don’t think he will harm me or lose me, but danger and risk seem to be a big part of following God. 

Think of the phrase Safety Zone and you see what I mean. My experience in following God is continually being forced out of my safety zone. Pushed into new relationships, new situations, new ways of doing life. And my life is richer, fuller, more exciting, more fulfilling, healthier. But not safer. 

A bible verse has been running through my head this week.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

When I think about this verse I think about medieval peasants running to their overlord’s fortress because their village is under attack. The fortress is safety. The overlord offers safety, but in a fierce Warrior kind of way. The “I will ride out and defeat our enemies” kind of way. The overlord is dangerous, strong, to be respected and obeyed. He offers safety. But I wouldn’t describe him as “safe”. 

C.S. Lewis wrote a children’s series called Narnia. In the series Jesus is allegorically portrayed as a Lion named Aslan. In the book “The Horse and His Boy” one of the characters (a talking horse) sees Aslan for the first time.

“Then Hwin, though shaking all over, gave a strange little neigh and trotted across to the Lion. “Please,” she said, “you‘re so beautiful. You may eat me if you like. I’d sooner be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.”

I feel like this quote really sums up the question, Is God safe? God is Creator. Almighty, Powerful. He is Good. He is King. He is Sovereign. He is Fierce and Strong. But he’s also Gentle and Meek. Kind. Compassionate. Slow to Anger. Abounding in Love. Merciful. 

In the end my posture is “God, you are good. You are beautiful. I worship you. I trust you with my life. But I also give up all rights to self-governance. I’m not in control anymore. You are. And I have no guarantees that you will make things turn out the way I want them. But I would rather die a martyr serving you than sit safe in my home without you.” 

God is not safe. But he is good. And he offers us the life that we were created to live. 

Nerd Rant

The other day my cousin posted pictures on FB where she and her husband were recreating famous artwork at their home with everyday objects. Somehow they managed to make a decent impression of “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. It was fun. You could definitely look at it and say, Yes, I can see that..”Starry Night”..it’s there…

 

This is how I feel about the movie Ender’s Game. You can watch it and say, hmm…yes, I can see how that is a little bit like the book. Same character names. There’s a battle station. Kind of the same plot. A bit. I can see it. I guess. But, that’s about it. 

 

It is rather painful when you have a favorite book and then they try to make a movie out of it. 

 

Very painful. 

 

Ender’s Game is one of those books that I have kept with me since I was an early teenager. I loved it. The understanding that children have a thought life, they are fully human…and they are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. The idea that a child could shape history. These things resonated with me when I was young. 

 

This is one of those books that I just pull out every couple years. It’s sitting on my shelf and I glance at it when I’m trying to find something to read…and I think, no, not yet, it’s too soon since I last read it. And then, one day, I look at it and I just know, It’s time. Time to read the book again. And somehow I’ve waited just the right amount of time so that when I read it, I’m still surprised, I’m still emotionally connected. It’s still deeply enjoyable. 

 

So, I just re-read Ender’s Game, and now I’m reading the companion book, Ender’s Shadow, which retells the story from a different character’s point of view. And in the middle of all that, I thought, hey, let’s watch the movie. So, Andy and I watched it after the kids were in bed. And I felt like screaming the whole time. WHAT??? What are you doing??? Did you even read the book before you wrote the script??? How did you get this character so WRONG!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??? 

 

I mean, I understand, it’s a long, complicated book. Some things were going to have to be sacrificed. But you would think that they would at least capture the personality and character traits of the main character. They took a compassionate, wise leader who ends the book at only eleven years old, and they turned him into a whiny, emotional teenager. ??????????? They turned a book about CHILDREN into a book about older TEENAGERS. 

 

If you can’t tell by now, I was not impressed with the movie. 

 

There is a definite correlation between how much you enjoy and know a book, and how well you are going to enjoy the movie. For instance, Lord of the Rings. I read the book series once. I never felt the need to read it again. I loved the movies. I had no problem with them at all, even though some of the diehard LOTR fans in my life had some strong opinions. But, the Narnia movies grate on my nerves. The first one, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is close enough that I can mostly enjoy it, but the other two movies just went off into their own little story lines, completely ignoring the fact that the book was already perfect just as it was, no need to mess with it. 

 

What is the deal with script-writers anyway? 

 

Ok. Rant over. Mostly. 

 

If you happen to be looking for a good Sci-fi, I recommend Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card. I’m not as in-love with the rest of the series that both those books are connected to, but they are still good. 

 

And I definitely don’t recommend watching the movie. 

 

(And yes, this movie came out years ago, I’m late on the rant trail…but it’s never too late to try and save people from a bad experience!)