The Silver Chair

A year ago I started re-reading CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia. I haven't been reading them straight through (don't worry about my reading ability to get through some kids books). I read them when I am in between books: I have finished my book but don't have the next book from the library yet. So last week I started the Silver Chair, the next in line. I read all of these as a kid, but it has been a long while since I got to the end of the chronicles. Enjoyable story...I like all the worlds he creates and leads you into. But as I am reading I know there is some deeper meaning, just waiting to surface. So Saturday night in my reading I got to the peak of the story and then sitting in church I realized some deeper meaning..it all clicked together. It helps if you just read the story, but I will try to explain
The story is about 2 children whom Aslan calls on a journey to find the lost Prince. Aslan give  them 4 steps to follow and they are accompanied by a pessimistic Marsh-Wiggle (think tall man with frog feet and hands) on their jounry. The journey is long and tiresome and they are lured by warm beds and quickly forget the steps they are to follow. They are awakened out of the wrong path and start following the steps again, which lead them into a world of caves; deeper and deeper they go and the people/dwarves they encounter are somber and there is darkness everywhere. They finally arrive and meet another man who claims to be someone and knows nothing of Narnia or the Prince they are looking for. That is, until the children and marsh wiggle break him free of a spell that has been upon him by a witch. To break the spell they must trust in what they have been told by Aslan and risk losing everything, but trust they do and are amazed to find this man is actually the Prince. They have to fight their way out and continue to fight the enchantments the witch wants to place on them, enchantments that call them to stay in the darkness and forget everything they have been told by Aslan.
That is the gist of the story and yesterday I realized some parallels to my life: everything around me tries to enchant me or be king over my life or promise me happiness or fulfillment so that I forget to listen to the voice of the one who loves me more deeply. The Prince has been trapped by these enchantments and is living in darkness and has forgotten his own name and whose he is...I am the same as I get lost and so used to the darkness and listen and hope that these other things will bring life. While the voice of the one who loves me is quietly calling me to the surface, to real love and real promises of life.
I have gotten my next book from the library, the Monster of Florence, so it will be awhile until I move onto the next Chronicle. But I highly recommend them for a quick read that promises to speak deeper truths in a magical way.