Even if there isn’t any Narnia

I know, I know. As an evangelical homeschooling mother, I’m practically required to love CS. Lewis. It’s really very stereotypical of me.

But I don’t care.

This quote is taken from the story of The Silver Chair- an adventure in the Narnia series where children join an unlikely pessmistic character, a marshwiggle named Puddleglum, in search of a missing prince. At the height of the search, they are subjected to hypnosis by a beautiful queen, who attempts to dissuade them from their quest, and from ever returning home.

Puddleglum, who until then has been equal parts nuisance and guide, shakes himself free of her magic and gives this proud little speech, waking the children from the stupor they’ve fallen into.

It sticks with me.

I believe that our society- the world, really, suffers from a huge lack of hope. I look around at the people my age and younger- especially those of us from wealthy nations, and what I see are purposeless and depressed masses. It’s not as if we’re starving or dying. There’s no depression, war, or famine.

But people live passionless lives. And we’re thirsty for something more- so we pacify ourselves with netflix, or food, or drugs, or parties, or sex, or gaming.

And you know why I think it is? Because it doesn’t matter how many pleasures you have. You can have a trip to Las Vegas and a platinum card and an extra-hot, extra-whip Triple caramel macchiato with cinnamon, and you are still bored with life.

The problem is that pleasures and luxuries mean nothing when you’re hopeless.

And why are we hopeless?

We’re hopeless because an entire generation of people has been taught from their youth- There is No God. There is nothing else. There is no truth, there is nothing else. We are animals, and that’s it.

And you know what? It’s pretty hopeless sounding.

I’m not saying this world isn’t amazing and magical and full of wonders and potential and mystery.

But if my identity is just a meaningless blip of carbon that has nothing to do with anything… except, as some liberals say, to further destroy the earth for my own survival… that’s where the hopelessness comes in.

But the bible tells a different story- tells a story in which I am loved, and cherished, and created with a purpose. A story where there is hope, and where my life actually makes a difference.

And that’s the story I’ll stick to.