This summer at LLFC we enjoyed the contributions of some great speakers as they shared each morning during our adult devotional time. One of these speakers was Crystal Kirgiss. Crystal holds her PhD in medieval languages and has a love for all things ancient and medieval. She is an enthusiast of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and countless other deceased English theologians.
One morning Crystal shared her thoughts on two aspects of life and faith that are often juxtaposed–“Experiencing Delight and Expecting Dragons.” She brilliantly brought the themes to life from the work of Lewis, Tolkien and others. In medieval literature “dragons” represent all things evil. In our lives we can expect to encounter “dragons,” bad things, perhaps even evil things. However, we will also experience delights if we can remember to see them.
This month my son turns 15 years old. Lately I have been thinking more about the competing themes of delights and dragons as I have watched my son grow. I delight a great deal in thinking of all the good things he will experience as he enters high school. The friendships he will strengthen, the memories he will create, the ways in which he will grow more into the young man the Lord has created him to be. However, I also expect that there will be dragons. There will be heartbreak and disappointments. There already have been actually.
That is the beauty of the Christian journey. The Lord promises to be with my son as he experiences both delight and dragons. And the Lord will be with me too.
In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gives the Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.”
That’s a hefty commission. I would imagine anyone who accepts this commission will experience many delights and dragons. Thankfully, Jesus continues with a promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Throughout this year and beyond I will need to remind myself, and my son, that the Lord is near, that God is with us in the delights and God is with us against the dragons. He is with us, to the end of the age. I pray that your family will experience the delight of the Lord’s presence, even when facing dragons.
Questions to consider:
