In chapter 8, the children are discussing with Trumpkin (the “D.L.F.” or Dear Little Friend) how they were summoned into Narnia. Trumpkin recounts how Prince Caspian escaped and blew Susan’s Magic Horn. They make the connection between this action and their entry into Narnia. They were “dragged” by the magic into this world. Edmund explains,
“Golly! It’s a bit uncomfortable to know that we can be whistled for like that. It’s worse than what Father says about living at the mercy of the telephone.
When Lewis penned these words, the telephone was a relatively new invention — an unwelcome intrusion into daily routine. In the same way, the children were stripped from their lives in England without warning or choice.
How often do we feel this way? Maybe it is a job transition, an ended relationship, a diagnosis, or a demanding coworker or neighbor. We feel as if we have little agency in our life. Finding ourselves at the mercy of others, or of circumstances, can be disturbing to those of us who value control.
Then Lucy chimes in. She takes the conversation in a more spiritual direction.
“It is more like being a Ghost and being called,” said Lucy with a shudder.
Still an uncomfortable place to be, Lucy reflects on the dynamic of being called into a place where you don’t feel you belong. You are stripped from one reality, leaving it behind and forced into another world. Lewis describes her words as including a shudder. Lucy loves Narnia, perhaps more than the other children. It has always been a magical place for her. But now, she is feeling the horror of a lack of control. Her lack of choice is unsettling for her.
So, while Edmund is annoyed by the dynamic, Lucy feels this calling in a deeper, even spiritual way. Soon she transitions from shuddering to a realization of the source of this calling. She puts it this way,
But we’re here now,” said Lucy. “And this is our own country. We’ve always wanted to get back…
And these are the words that hit me like a ton of bricks.
“And we are here because Aslan wants us.”
As we think about Jesus’ calling in our own lives, we may sometimes feel interrupted, or even pulled away from what we want. We might desire to live in a particular place or closer to loved ones. We might long for a specific career or a different set of circumstances. Yet, we find ourselves here… And the bottom line is that we are here because Jesus wants us here.
For me, this is enough.
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