The Incredible Paradox in Being Human
Posted by onebeggarsbread on April 20, 2008
Our family recently read Prince Caspian aloud together. While laying on the couch (with a very sore throat, thankful it was not my turn to read out loud) listening to my husband finish up the action-packed last chapters, something Aslan said brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.
Aslan was explaining the history of Prince Caspian’s ancestors and how they came into Narnia from our world. Their past included some ugly details, including piracy and violence. Caspian, not thrilled to hear the details, remarked, “I was wishing that I came of a more honorable lineage.”
To which Aslan replied,
“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve, and that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”
It is a strange thing to be so fully aware of my humanity as a Christian.
I feel the incredible shame that comes from being totally depraved, not able to do ANY good without God, being sickly aware of the much-too-fine line between me and the filthiest sinner I can recall. And yet, I feel the unimaginable honor that comes from being made in the very image of God Himself, capable of such breath-taking love and compassion and beauty!
What an interesting paradox, don’t you think?
