How a tale of a boy called Eustace and a dragon shows us a glimpse of what sin looks like in our lives. The beauty of being new in Christ and being set free from the scales of sin.
Dear Reader,
Have you ever read a book that spoke to your soul? There is something about it that lodges deep in your heart—some truth you needed to know. For me, one of these books is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.
I have cried many times while reading this book.
There is so much I could say about my love for this book. The characters, the adventures, and the truths are all captivating. I could tell you about a mouse who is courageous and brave. I could tell you about the sea that rises up into a land I long to go to. I could tell you of the dear friends who come into the story once more. I could tell you of the dragon and his lesson.
I’m afraid I will just spoil it all.
At the center of the story is a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb (and he almost deserved it). His story is the journey from an unbeliever to a believer. A tale of not having faith to a story of faith.
With greed and sin and selfish gain, we become rather like a dragon. Mean and hard and stubborn. Not at all like who God made us to be. We can try to scratch the scales of sin off. We can try and try, but it still does not come off.
Even Paul from the Bible had scales over his eyes. His unbelief was strong. He couldn’t get the scales off on his own. Nor can we get all the scales off of us, try as we might.
Only God can tear the scales fully off of us. It can be hard and messy. It might even hurt terribly. This is what sin does in our lives.
Have you ever had a thorn stuck in your foot? Well, if you have, you know that they can hurt terribly.
Now you can leave the thorn in. It will still hurt to walk on. The skin may grow over, but the thorn will remain. Maybe you’ll even get a nasty infection.
Or you can take the thorn out. Now it might still hurt terribly. The area may be bruised afterwards, but the thorn will be gone. Your foot can heal and get better. Soon you’ll be running and jumping with ease.
Sin can be like a thorn. You may be afraid to pull it out because it can hurt. It will hurt you if you leave it in. We can get fearful in our minds. Instead of momentary pain, we can end up choosing a whole life of pain.
We may be able to pull the thorn out on our own, but sometimes our sin is greater than a little thorn. Sometimes it covers us like dragon scales. In the case of dragon scales, that is no easy thing to remove.
So we need help. Help from the only one who can take off the scales from our body. We need Jesus. As he took the scales from Paul and how Aslan took the scales off…well, I’ll just let you read the book to find out what happens.
We need the thorn of sin to be removed like dragon scales from off our bodies and over our eyes.
That is our hope as Christians. The hope is that when we go to God, He can take the scales of sin off from us. Now He can take the scales off of us instantly. Though I also believe it is our choice. He gives us the free will to want to choose Him and be set free. Are you ready to have the scales off? Are you ready to be done with sin? Do you want to be fresh and made new in Jesus? I don’t think that we can pull the scales from off us completely on our own, but we can start. God will do the rest!
We are not left as we are. In Jesus, by the salvation we have in Him, we are made new.
Jesus died for all of us—the whole world. We are given this gift of salvation and forgiveness, but there still must be repentance. We need the new self (who we are as a Christian and child of God) to be evident in our lives.
Think of it like you are covered in mud, which is your sin. You are drenched in mud. It is caked onto your clothes and makes them brown and stained and crusty.
Jesus comes in, and He washes us clean with His blood. He has forgiven us.
Imagine Jesus then, after washing you off, gives you brand-new clothes that are as white as snow and clean. That is a picture of the new self in Christ.
"After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me—"
"Dressed you? With his paws?"
"Well, I don't exactly remember that bit. But he did somehow or other: in new clothes—the same I've got on now, as a matter of fact."
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
—1 John 1:7
I hope you let God take the scales off of you and let Jesus wash you clean.
I shall leave you with one of my favorite quotes from this book:
"Courage, dear heart," and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.
—C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Yours Truly,
Moriyah
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P.S.
There is magic, a magical book, curses, a star who is a wizard (he helps the Narnians and is not evil), and nightmares that come to life. I believe this book is a wonderful story and is safe to read, but if your child is more sensitive to topics like magic, you may want to read it before them.
Truly this is a wonderful story! I love how it sets the scene for future stories about the world's end and Aslan's country!
Paperback full color: https://bookshop.org/a/126087/9780064409469
Paperback no color: https://bookshop.org/a/126087/9780064405027
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