Some Thoughts on The Chronicles of Narnia

I have to confess that The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe has been one of my favorite books since I was a child. In fact, I think it might have been the first book that I ever read multiple times. When I was in college I discovered that it is actually part of a series and bought the whole box set. Unfortunately, since I was in college I didn't have time to read anything other than text books. Now that I have plenty of time I dug out the box and have started reading.
As I've been reading I've been once again struck by the beautiful religious symbolism that C.S. Lewis included-- so much so that I've been choked up a few times in the past 2 or 3 days. For example, in The Horse and His Boy the main character (Shasta) discovers the man who raised him is not his birth father and decides to escape the night he finds out that his "father" is selling him into slavery. The story that ensues is about his journey to freedom in the north. The journey is rife with challenge, perceived failures, and loneliness. Near the end of his journey he meets Aslan (the Christ figure) and tells him of his sorrows. After enlisting all the unfortunate events of his life Aslan explains those same experiences from his point of view. He says,
"I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."
How many times in our lives do we complain and feel sorry for ourselves? If we would take a moment and reflect we too would see our Lord's hand in our lives. He guides us, comforts us, protects us, strengthens us, and preserves us (and most of the time we are completely unaware of it). I'm grateful for good literature that keeps me mindful of these beautiful truths.