My Only Hope is Aslan
“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it.” - Puddleglum in C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair
If I haven't already made it crystal clear in this blog, let me make it clear right now – I am a great sinner. Not I was, but I am (Romans 7:19). Sometimes I even hesitate to identify myself publicly as a Christian, not because I'm ashamed of Christ's cross; but rather, because I feel I'm flirting with disaster everyday. I'm just one word or act away from humiliating myself, hurting my family, and bringing disrepute upon the gospel. I've had too many razor-thin close calls to think otherwise. Consequently, my prayer is that God would grant me grace (and wisdom) to get through each day without causing too much damage.
So, although I would be on Aslan's side, I'm not confident enough in myself to make that assertion. I'm just too weak. Regardless, I still hope He's on my side. Thus my version of the Puddleglum quote above would be something more like this: “I limp after Aslan. Even if He rejects me or it all turns out to be an elaborate hoax, still I struggle on after Him. Because Aslan and Aslan alone is my hope." Or to put it another way, using non-Narnian terms, if God does ultimately pluck this brand out of the fire (Zechariah 3:2), it will be sola gratia, propter Christum - by grace alone, because of Christ.
Labels: Aslan, C. S. Lewis, Puddleglum, The Chronicles of Narnia