What do we do with you?
You whose ways are not our ways.
You who set the earth in place and yet skip like the young over mountains.
What do we do with you who will not be set into our ways, our times, our places?
What do we do with you when you seem so silent and far?
What do we do with you when you seem near enough to reach out and touch?
What do we do with you who will not fit into our plans, make our lives comfortable, do things that we want?
What do we do with you?
I cannot tame, control, manipulate or second guess you.
So I sigh, I turn, I rest my weary head, I gaze again and find
I am creature to your creator, daughter to my Father, recipient of a love never failing.
I am weak whilst you are strong.
I know little whilst you know the depths and heights of this universe.
I am dust whilst you are the rock eternal.
I am small, frail, helpless
You are good, wild, unfathomable and yet knowable.
You may not give me what I want and yet you give me you.
Help me be satisfied to stand in awe.
“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy. “Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh,” said Susan, “I thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “That you will, dearie, and make no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king I tell you.” (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe- CS Lewis)
This reads like a hymn – or a psalm, perhaps. Good stuff, lady.
This reminded me of Rich Mullins’ Hard to Get. Which I love. There’s something very calming to me to stare the dichotomies about God right in the face and realize that he is “good, wild, unfathomable and yet knowable.” When I read words like these it makes me feel precious to Him, that even though he is so above me he has made an intimate connection between us possible. And that is much better than not putting words to these things which leaves me feel a little lost, wondering where I stand in the Eternal Scheme of things.
Anyway, this was beautiful and true and wonderful to read on a grey, drizzly afternoon.
(And the Lewis quote always makes me love Aslan so fiercly.)