“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” ~ George MacDonald
I love the Narnia series. I can remember the first time I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to my children. I cried through most of it because it took the hard truths I was learning as a new Christian and gave me an understanding of the desired end. I began to realize that once we are born-again, we truly are like Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy – Kings and Queens, or in truth, sons and daughters of the One True King.
But also like our protagonists, when we are first saved, we don’t know who we truly are in Christ. We just said yes to an adventure, and suddenly we found ourselves in a strange world where we still see ourselves as orphaned children just trying to make our way.
Did you know that Father has an adventure planned with your name on the luggage tags? Each of the Pevensie children had their own specific journey as they travailed new territory together in Narnia. Each individual adventure was designed specifically to grow them into the truth of their true identity. The picture above is from another book in the series entitled The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace is a cousin of the Pevensie children who is forced to come to grips with his fallen nature – a dragon. Aslan (the lion), who represents Jesus, begins a process of shedding the false identity that Eustace hides behind layer by layer until Eustace finds himself wholly human again. The change in his character is drastic and he becomes a tremendous force of righteousness and goodness in the land of Narnia.
What does this have to do with this blog series on authenticity? In theological terms, this process that the children undergo is called progressive sanctification. I believe that upon our initial salvation experience, we are immediately transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We are true citizens of heaven. But, it takes a lifetime of process to truly become authentic in our Kingdom identity.
What we must understand in coming into a relationship with Christ is that Father is not simply after behavior modification. If that’s what I believe my walk with Christ is all about, I will continually struggle in my understanding of the character of God.
No, Father is after our complete transformation. And no one is exempt. The beautiful thing about this adventure is that no matter how harrowing some of our story becomes, Father is committed to walking every step of the journey with us. “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Dt 31:8.
There may be some of you who read this and say – umm…no…I don’t like adventure. But the truth is that the longing that is in your soul to be your authentic self cannot be satisfied any other way. Father, in his wisdom and mercy, placed a longing for eternity within the heart of man. Just as Eustace found to be true, it’s an itch that only Jesus can scratch.
If you are ready to pick up your bags and start your journey, reach out to a pastor, a church leader, or send me an email. I promise you, it’s an adventure of a lifetime.
You may also read of my own transformation journey in my book, One Small Voice.
It may be purchased on Amazon using the link below:
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