Prince Caspian

I came home a little bit late after picking up the clothes at the Cleaner's and a few groceries at WalMart. David was working in the backyard pulling out the weeds. He suggested we eating out at Olive Garden. He knew that I like the Italian food and we hadn't been there for a long time. We both were stuffed after the delicious meal. To help with the digestion, we decided to watch the movie "Prince Caspian" from "The Chronicles of Narnia".

We really enjoyed the movie, except for a few minutes, the fierce scene of fighting made us nervous. It was so happened that right before we went to the dinner and movie, I read the 12 Spiritual Lessons from the movie "Prince Caspian". Here are the summaries of them:

Time Really Is Relative: The use of time in "Prince Caspian" seems to be a metaphorical nod to the biblical concept found in I Peter: "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." The Pevensies learn that what may seem in important in the moment is not necessarily important many years later--yet Aslan, the God symbol, always remains the same.

Let Go of Great Expectations: Repeatedly in "Prince Caspian," C.S. Lewis examines the faulty assumptions and expectations of some of the characters (the mice, the four kids) as they rely on false information or take others at face value. The Bible is filled with stories of God choosing the small or foolish to demonstrate his power. Yet too often we continue to judge only by superficial qualities.

Faith Shouldn't Be Decided by a Majority Vote: Lucy is the only one who can see Aslan for a good portion of the novel. The majority rule that Lucy's sightings of Aslan are nonsense, and they proceed on their way only to regret their decision--and their lack of faith--soon after. It is always tempting to let other voices drown out the still, small voice of faith inside us. It is also easier to simply go along with the crowd when we know we should stand up for our beliefs. But just as Lucy let her faith be silenced and regretted it, when we do not act on our faith, it will likely not take long before we too reap the consequences.

Hang on to Faith in a Culture of Doubt: No one in this Narnia believes in talking animals, dwarves, or any of the other characters that originally graced the land. But when Lucy and the others try to tell Prince Caspian about the way Narnia used to be, he slowly begins to believe in the Narnia of old and wishes to meet the old Narnian dwellers who have been in hiding. In this sense, Narnia is an excellent metaphor for a postmodern society in which skepticism, narcissism, intellectualism, elitism, and any number of other "isms" have created an environment of doubt, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness that has choked out the beauty and mystery of the journey of faith.

Fear Not, for God Is With You: Aslan gently instructs Susan to stop listening to the voice of fear. Fear was one of the reasons she couldn't see him when he appeared to Lucy earlier in their journey. To help Susan refocus her energy and thoughts, Aslan then breathes on her. With that breath, fear loses its control of Susan's heart and she is able to be brave once again.

Be Thankful for Blessings in Disguise: we need someone like Trumpkin in our lives to remind us that our current situations could be far worse if we had made a different choice or refused to listen to a trusted friend.

Make Time to Enjoy God's Presence: One of my favorite scenes from the novel is when the old Narnians are reunited with Aslan, the creator of Narnia. Though there have been difficult times in the past and danger lies straight ahead of them, they take time to enjoy Aslan by literally playing and romping with the giant lion.

Actions Can Have Lasting Consequences: When the children uncover their gifts from their first adventure in Narnia in the treasure room at Cair Paravel, Edmund is once again reminded that because of his earlier betrayal of his siblings and Narnia, he does not have a special token from his previous journey. Even though Aslan willingly gave his life for Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," this does not mean that there are no consequences for Edmund's previous choices. God will willingly forgive us of our sins if we ask, but that does not mean there won't be long-term effects from our actions.

Vanity Corrupts Character: When Reepicheep finally has the opportunity to stand before Aslan, he can only dwell in the embarrassment he feels appearing before Aslan without his beautiful tail. While Aslan praises Reepicheep's acts of heroism and valor, he also reminds him that he places too much importance on something that is really an outward show of vanity, not a true reflection of inner character.

Loyalty and Sacrifice are valuable: Reepicheep's followers offer to cut off their own tails in solidarity if Aslan will not restore their leader's tail. Touched by the mice and their willingness to sacrifice on behalf of their leader, Aslan honors the request. This kind of devotion, rarely found in this world, is exactly the example of loyalty and sacrifice the Bible gives throughout the New Testament. As the passage from John states, "No one has greater love than this, that one lays down his life for his friends."

Stick Close to Your Spiritual Family: When he meets the Old Narnians, Caspian immediately feels a kinship with them that he has never felt before. These Old Narnians are his true, spiritual family. We may not have been born into a family situation that is caring and fulfilling. However, we can always choose to develop a spiritual family unit with people of similar faith and character to share our journey.

Leaders Are Made, Not Born: regardless of destiny or birthright, becoming a true leader is a process--and not an easy one. Both Caspian and Peter make mistakes. The two youngsters actually struggle to work together at first, and they need a lesson in humility and teamwork before they are finally victorious against the Telmarines. Perhaps the best gift we can give our leaders is to be more like Susan or Lucy and give our grace, encouragement and support as they learn and grow in their leadership skills.