Trufflehunting

 

One of my favorite authors has a way of telling stories that make you think. His

skill is crafted in such a way that you may not even realize that you are gaining perspective.

 

But then again, a close friend of C. S. Lewis thought he made his stories

 too transparent. J. R. R. Tolkien was a craftsman of his own entire

Middle Earth, and took an elaborate approach to the art of telling stories.

His intentions were not the same as Lewis', yet in their separate styles, they

endure as great ways to make the reader beg for more!

 

My story today is from the lovely land of Narnia. A place that many children,

long to see for themselves. If you are honest, a place that

calls to you as an adult. 

As Lewis himself said, "But some day you will

be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down

from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it."

 

The land of Narnia calls to me frequently, as I was very fond of the stories

growing up. I didn't care much for allegories and book reviews then, but I

seemed to understand that which others may not have seen so clearly.

 

 

The story of Prince Caspian was fascinating to me, and I was excited to see

  what else was going on in the world of Narnia as I read it for the first time.

  Many, many years had passed since the four children from England found the

  magic wardrobe, and inside of it a whole new world. They learned lessons on

  the other side of that door as they met unique creatures, made lifetime

  friends, and became kings and queens. Many years in Narnia, anyway; it had

  only been one year for Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

 

The time warp thing was exciting and confusing for a young child, but it

opened possibilities for imagination to go wild! I think Narnia was the first

place that deep inside, I wanted to be real.

 

  The children are sitting on a bench at a railway station, on their way back to

  school and feeling rather glum. Most likely they were all thinking about the

  same thing, how boring another year of school would be compared to the many

  years of adventures that they shared in Narnia. 

They had grown up there, aging gracefully into wise rulers of a country, where they were respected and love by man and beast alike. 

The thought of going back to school was disheartening,

  not knowing if they were ever going back to the secret world beyond the

  wardrobe. Here they sat, not one second older than before the wardrobe ever

  opened. They had to become students all over again. They had to sit quietly

  and listen to their tutors. They were not able to request a change of program

  for the day. They did not have the luxury of being in charge of a battalion.

  They didn't have maids adjusting the sheets, or butlers pulling down shades to

  keep the sun's glare out of their eyes. No one else was there to answer

  questions for them, they had to find it on their own. The drudgery of spelling

  bees and arithmetic quizzes, biology tests, and sentence diagrams were the

  order of business once more.

 

 

  Once you have known splendor, it is oh so very difficult to return to the

  ordinary.

 

As a young child reading this story about Prince Caspian, I had conflicting

emotions while traveling with the four Pevensies.

 

I was happy to be alongside

High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just,

and Queen Lucy the Valiant, even though they didn't seem to change into their

future selves this time around. They grew in strength and wisdom and faith, but for

whatever reason, did not change into the adult version of yesteryear in

Narnia.

 

It bothered me so much that I didn't try to comprehend why the change wasn't

complete.

 

I also was a bit disappointed when most of the story takes place in searching

for the reason they were called back into the land of Narnia.

But now as I read it, from the other side of my life - post grief and deep

loss, post chronic health issues, post mom of young children and now

adults - I see things differently. The obvious being, that the moments you recall as the most precious, are the times when you were just being a family, growing together in love and building memories.

 

 

  Much time has passed and the story comes together as the enemy strikes against

  young Caspian and his small band of followers in the darkness of a cave, the

  DLF and his new friends come to the rescue. (Yes, the kings and queens finally

  arrived!) After the brief skirmish that could have ended the royal family

  line, the allies step back to introduce themselves. Peter explains to Caspian

  that he isn't here to take over, but merely to help him keep his throne.

  They then proceed to salute each other with "Your majesty" echoing all around the

  shelter.

  One small voice, however, isn't one of the king's. The Badger, Trufflehunter,

  is acknowledging his allegiance and his faith in the help that was promised by Aslan.                                                                                   

 

  King Peter graciously shows his gratitude.

  "Best of badgers," he said. "You never doubted us all through."

 

  "No credit to me, your Majesty," said Trufflehunter. "I'm a beast and we don't

  change. I'm a badger, what's more, and we hold on."   - pg.173  from C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

 

Here I see the parallels of life.

Why, perhaps, did C.S. Lewis have the Pevensies grow to become kings and queens in the land of Narnia, but then later to enter that world as children in appearance, yet remain in history as grand and valiant warriors?                                                   

 

What if he was saying that as a child you may actually see clearer and

deeper into a truth? We may be able to overcome many battles with the faith of

a child, much better than how we cope with troubles as an adult.

How as a little girl may be able to make sense of her world, because of the faith she

holds on to for dear life. How everything around her crumbles, and yet she

stands.

But then as we grow in body, we also grow in faith and strength. How we must regain that which we unwavering-ly held onto as a child, but lost as we matured and left behind our younger passions and alliances and hope. How we must cleave to truth with the heart of a child, and not the eyes of an adult.

That little girl? She is holding on to a strength that is deeper than the magic of time.

She is like the badger, Trufflehunter, never doubting in the strength of Aslan.

 

I am she. I am holding onto the hope of help just when I need it most.

I am, in fact, Trufflehunting!

Welcome to rebuilding @Brick by Brick

Building faith, telling stories, loving God, living loud. Written by: Sue Leerhoff