Lessons from the Bard and Lewis

Once upon a time I read "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" which is a collection of fairy tails that is quoted in several of the Harry Potter books, but most noticeably in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

The story from "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" that made an impact in my life, is called 'The Warlocks Hairy Heart" [You should really read it...it'll change your life]

In this story the Warlock is pretty much the most selfish being on the planet and takes out his heart [in order to save it from life and love and other things] and puts it in a casket in his basement. Later he overhears a few of his servants talking about how he doesn't have a wife...so he finds one. She's the most beautiful girl in the whole land who happens to also be the richest, which is why she was chosen by the warlock. But she was all like "Well, I need to know you have a heart" so he takes her down to the basement, but finds his heart has been changed...it is hairy and deformed and gross. The girl tells him to put his heart back inside of him, but its so very changed and he hasn't had a heart in so long that he can't get his heart back where it belongs. Instead the warlock kills the girl and takes her heart and tries to replace his, but it doesn't work and the warlock and the girl both die because of the warlocks selfishness and unwillingness to love.

This has gotten me thinking about how I love on several occasions. And on Tuesday I found this totally awesome quote from C.S. Lewis that I am going to share with you:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

That's what happened to the Warlock....he stuck his heart in a casket and it changed [him] without him noticing...when he tried to get his heart back so he could live and love with it, he found that he was unable to do so and in the end it was so unbreakable that it killed him and his future Mrs.

The sobering thing here is that when Lewis talks about it, he's talking about actual human beings...me and you...not just a fictional character in J.K. Rowling's fairy tales.

That brings me to my next point. We can't love if we aren't free. Along with loving others, freedom in Christ and what that looks like has been on my mind and heart lately. So I've been researching it a little. And here is what I've found:

1. When we focus too much on our sin...either not giving it up or else trying to hard not to do it...our focus is wrong. It's on us. Our focus has to be on Christ and as we focus on Him and our walk, our thoughts and actions will change.
2. Freedom is found when my heart, mind and eyes are focused on my Shepherd. When I am listening to His voice and following and submitting I am free to love others unreservedly.
3. Freedom is found when I am still and silent and out of the way for Him to move into every part of me
4. There is freedom in my submission...in releasing my will to His
5. My willpower to not sin will only last for so long and most of the time that leaves me tired and restless and broken....I have to rest in His strength and allow His desires to become my desires.

Bottom line: When my heart is submissive, when it's open to His movement and hearing His whispers, I am free to love as He loves.