joy of nine9

Your turn! What are your small successes?

Share your three (or more…or less) small successes from this week . This week is about gratitude.

• I am so grateful that God takes the initiative to love and transform us.  Left to my own devices, I would stay hunkered down, living in a dark cave, miserable and alone like a grumpy dwarf in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis.

•  Most of us  never see the light so to speak. Sometimes  a person must  not only hear the truth but see it dramatized either in someone elses’ life or even in the life of a fictional character in a book.  This happened to me. I was reading Narnia , when the ridiculous behaviour of the dwarves literally slapped me in the face. Then I thought,  I do that.  I am living exactly like a miserable dwarf who is surrounded by the beauty of creation and the love of God but I don’t let it sink into me. This realization is literally changing my life.

• Whenever I slip into a misery mode, God brings this story to my mind and I laugh at myself. Laughter snaps me back into reality, the reality of Presence of  God.

The enemies of Aslan have imprisoned the children, a few animals, Prince Caspian, as well as disgruntled dwarves in a shed that is dank and dark, filled with putrid straw, stale water and rotten cabbages to eat. A war against the evil forces rages outside. Outwardly, it seems that all is lost, yet the children, Prince and animals hold on to the belief that Aslan, who is a Christ figure, will come and save Narnia. Of course the dwarves mock their ridiculous faith.

Suddenly Aslan appears, vanquishes the enemy and the back of the prison crumbles revealing a glorious sight. It is Narnia, but more resplendent, filled with a radiant light. Everything is more colourful, beautiful, fragrant. It is a resurrected Narnia. Heaven has come to earth. A table, covered with a white cloth and laden with delicacies, beckons them.

Everyone celebrates by feasting on the delicious food laid out before them as they delight in the beauty all around. The dwarves, hang back suspicious and mistrustful. When they finally venture a nibble of a delicacy they spit it out in disgust. All they taste is stale water and rotten cabbages . All they see is the dark, dank prison.The grumpy dwarves refuse this new life that the other characters are enjoying right beside them.