South Hills Church Community

In C.S. Lewis' book The Silver Chair, the Prince of Narnia is enchanted by a sorceress and made to be her slave.  For 23 hours a day, he does whatever she asks, consoling himself with whatever small pleasures she affords him.  For one hour each day, the spell wears off and he remembers who he really is.  During this hour, before the spell wears off, she simply asks him to tie himself up so that he can't escape.

This reminds me of one of the truths of the Christian life.  Many of us believe we are slaves to the desires of our flesh.  We identify ourselves as sinners, forgetting that our old selves have been crucified with Christ, symbolically left in the water when we are baptized. (Gal. 2:20)  Just as Rillian occasionally remembers his true nature, occasionally we might go on a retreat and gain some perspective, briefly recognizing who we are and who we are called to be; what our potential is in Christ.  Sadly, many view those times as the exception rather than the rule; a mountaintop of hope in a valley of sin and despair.

If Rillian were to recall constantly who he was and what his position, power and inheritance had the potential to be, he would have been a great danger to the sorceress.  Why should royalty serve an evil and manipulative witch?  It doesn't make any sense.  This is why she had to trick him into identifying himself as her slave, and why she kept him tied up when the spell wore off each night.  If he could only remember his true self, things would be different.

And so it is with us.

This concept is also present in Disney's animated film The Lion King.  The protagonist, a lion living in exile, has taken up residence with a warthog and a rodent, and they have no worries, because they do little but eat and sleep.  In a vision, his father appears to him and exhorts him to "remember who you are".  He is a prince, destined to rule and rescue, living as a peasant. 

Why do our best writers keep writing the same story?  Why does our blood boil when we see this theme play itself out in film and literature again and again?

As sons and heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), we need to remember who we are and remember that sin is not consistent with our identity.  We are more than conquerors, but sometimes it seems like we have amnesia.  What would happen if we  always knew who we are?  What if we lived on the mountaintop all the time?

We could be so dangerous.