There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
From the moment you read these first words of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader you know you are meeting the unlikeable character, if not the villain, of the story. What is it, we wonder, that makes Eustace Scrubb so deserving of such an unpleasant sounding name?
Why of course, he has no imagination.
That's it?
Indeed it is. Eustace has no imagination. His parents have no imagination, and for that, they emerge as the "bad guys" of our tale. Eustace can't dream of better things and so he is completely caught up in ordinary things. And the ordinary is so dreadfully ordinary that it leaves Eustace with nothing better to do than evil.
He can't imagine imaginary countries, and so he makes fun of others who do. He has no daring or sense of adventure, so he settles for criticizing. He has no hope to be great or heroic, so he must content himself with being practical. And complaining about things which are not practical occupies all of his time.
Much that is wrong with our lives as Christians springs from our lack of imagination. We don't read the scriptures because they cause us to think. Not wishing to think, we'd rather sit around and say, "I can't understand them. They aren't clear enough. I tried once and didn't get anything out of it." We don't pray because we cannot possibly imagine how it might profit us. We don't give generously because we see no potential for good in it (an anyway, was anything EVER less practical than giving money away?) Suffering for us is not "a part of every great adventure"; when you have no imagination suffering is simply something you use to prove there is no God. Small Groups? Who needs those silly people? Worship? I don't like singing--I doubt God likes it either. Serving? I have better (more practical) things to do with my time (like laundry). Compassion on the poor? They should get a job. Tell My Story of Faith? I haven't one to tell. Nothing special ever happened to me.
Erwin McManus tells us, "We all want miracles in our life, but then spend our life ignoring the places and avoiding the situations where miracles happen." [Seizing Your Divine Moment]
When did you last take a chance on Jesus with a fiery imagination?
What are the divine moments you passed over because you let Eustace Scrubb rule the day?
