Inside Out

One of the reasons I love fiction so much is that it can help me capture important truths in a memorable way that permanently changes my mind, heart, and perspective.  One of my favorite books is The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis.  Many of you are familiar with this last book of the Narnia series, especially since the first three books of the series have been put on film. 

At the end of The Last Battle, friends of Narnia find themselves in a losing battle against their Calormene enemies.  Eventually they are thrown into a small, dark stable, presumably to be consumed by the Calormene god, Tash.  These characters are surprised to find themselves in an entirely new place, full of sunlight and fresh air.  They are met in this new place by old characters from other Narnia books—Digory and Polly, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy.  As they try to understand what has happened, they realize that the stable door through which they were thrown was not an end but a beginning. 

Tirian, the last King of Narnia, observes, “It seems, then, that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.”

Tirian is answered with this comment: “Yes, its inside is bigger than its outside.”

It is Lucy’s comment that is the most significant: “In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than the whole world.”

It took an episode from the Dr. Who series to help me realize that this concept applies to people:  In the Dr. Who episode, a character asks the Doctor: “Is everyone like you, bigger on the inside than on the outside?”

Unfortunately, I believe the answer is, “No.”  The “size” of our “insides” depends on what is going on inside.  If we go about our days focused on ourselves and intent on earning or proving our worth and/or righteousness, our insides will shrink.  Likewise, if we choose the path of bitterness, if we make ourselves feel better at the expense of others, or if we excuse our bad attitude and behavior, we will become an empty shell of a person.

On the other hand, if we go about our days focused on our Lord and intent on following, pleasing, and glorifying Him, our insides will expand.  Likewise, if we practice forgiveness, encourage others for who they are in Christ, and humbly confess and repent when we are confronted by our sin, we will become like the stable—much bigger on the inside than on the outside.  May it be so.

A Spiritual Lesson From Dr. Who

I am not by nature a fan of science fiction, but I love C.S. Lewis’s science fiction trilogy, and over the last several months I have come to appreciate the British science fiction television series, Dr. Who.  The current BBC production is a revival of the original series from the last century.  The plots are usually far-fetched, and the filming is decidedly low-tech.  The Doctor travels freely (and often randomly) in time and space in a ship that looks on the outside like a British police call box.  What the show lacks in sophistication, however, it offers in food for thought.

In one episode, The Dalek, the Doctor encounters a member of the evil Dalek race, held captive by an uber-wealthy collector of unusual beings. The Daleks are a robot-like warrior species, with no emotions, and dedicated to the destruction of all other creatures.  The Doctor’s initial reaction to this face-to-face encounter is to attempt to kill the robot-like Dalek.  He is prevented from doing so by the collector, who does not want to lose his prized specimen.  In the drama that follows, the Dalek gets free and starts to hunt and kill everyone on the premises.  Most of the Dalek’s “prey” find their way to a protected safe room, but the Doctor’s side-kick, Rose, is not so fortunate.  Rose finds herself on the wrong side of the door, facing the Dalek and certain death.  But then the unexpected happens.  The Dalek has somehow absorbed a portion of Rose’s compassionate humanity.  It doesn’t kill her, and in the end, it destroys itself rather than continuing to kill. 

In another episode, A Town Called Mercy, the Doctor finds himself in an old “wild west” town in Texas that is being besieged by an alien bent on exacting well-deserved revenge on an alien war criminal who has taken refuge in the town and is seeking to atone for his past.  The Doctor’s initial enthusiasm for seeing vigilante justice executed against the war criminal becomes tempered by the resident marshal’s commitment to mercy.  As the plot unfolds, the viewer sees the larger picture of right and wrong, justice and forgiveness. The townspeople choose to act according to mercy; the targeted alien faces the wrongs of his past and destroys himself to save the town.  The revenge-seeking alien is then left without a mission until the Doctor suggests a new calling; the alien remains at his post just outside the town, not to kill but to protect.

It seems to me that both of these secular television episodes have an important reminder for us: even in the most unlikely of circumstances, with the most unlikely of people, God gives us the opportunity to influence others in very subtle ways.  We are God’s salt and light in this world, and we have the glorious privilege of offering others a quiet taste of heaven simply in the way we treat them and conduct our lives.  And just like the characters in Dr. Who, we can change the course of history.  As a matter of fact, as we partake in the nature of Christ and reflect Him, we cannot help but proclaim the Kingdom of God.  May we encourage one another to do so faithfully and joyfully.

A Valentine's Day Thought

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

                                                  Audrey Hepburn

The Public Bath

My husband Ken has mastered the skill of taking “instant” showers.  He says he is so fast in the shower because he doesn’t get dirty.  It must be that clean living.

I wonder, though, how often we take that attitude with our spiritual lives—if we’re “good,” we won’t get dirty.  If I attend church regularly, tithe faithfully, serve sacrificially, pray regularly, and read my Bible daily, I won’t have to worry about sin.

But the Apostle John warns us that he who says he has no sin essentially makes God a liar (I Jn. 1:10).  Often, though, we don’t see our own sin.  Our hearts are deceitful (Jer. 17:9).  We end up in a classic case of ignorance is self-righteous bliss.  That is why it is so important to engage in body life.  Just as children grow when their faults are exposed among their siblings, we grow as our sin is exposed as we worship and work together as members of God’s family.

Personally, I would prefer to encounter and deal with my sin privately.  But I can’t.  It is only when I am in relationship with others that my selfishness becomes visible.  It is only when I am serving with others that I confront the question: “Am I doing this as an expression of love for my Lord, or am I doing this to impress someone?”

It is almost certainly uncomfortable to have our weaknesses seen in public.  To coin a popular phrase, I think it is time we get over it.  Please allow me to make the following observations:

v Our discomfort at having our sins exposed is directly proportional to our pride.  The better we think we are, the harder it is to recognize, accept, and acknowledge our faults. 

v The exposure of our sin is a threat only if we are finding our identity, value, and security in our performance, in our own righteousness.  If our identity, value, and security are in Christ, we can welcome the exposure of our sin because it gives us the opportunity to confess, repent, and become more like Christ.

v  Practicing vulnerability in our church family gives us the opportunity to experience the power of being known and loved anyway.

v The willingness to expose our weaknesses helps us to live more honest lives.  This pleases and glorifies the God of truth; it also provides a powerful witness to nonbelievers who cannot connect with “perfect” Christians.

v As we take responsibility for our sin by confession and repentance, we make deep, rich relationship with others possible.  This reflects both the nature and design of our Lord.

Now that I’ve got you excited about all the good God can do in our lives as we live in transparency with one another, there is more good news!  This opportunity for growth is easily found.  In fact, it can be missed only if we run away or walk around with our eyes closed.  Virtually every gathering we attend, be it a gathering of two or two hundred, offers us a chance to deeply engage and take the risk of letting our self-protective guard down.  Perisseia (Windsor Chapel’s women’s growth group) is one such opportunity, and anyone who attends at least somewhat regularly can attest to the fact that my sins and areas of brokenness are often brought to light.  Have you heard about the time I rolled over someone’s boundaries—during a session about that very topic?

Although I am not suggesting that exposing our sins should be our goal as we worship and work together, I would love for us to participate in body life without reserve and without fear, confident that God is doing a glorious work in us, through us, and among us.