Dumb Animals

I typically keep 2-3 movies on my Ipod in case I ever have a few minutes to waste waiting for something at a job site etc. Recently I have been watching Prince Caspian when I have time. There was a line that stuck out to me the first time I saw it and again yesterday as I watched. After returning to Narnia the Pevensie children are met by Trumpkin the dwarf and are traveling to the aid of the true Narnians. The Narnia they return to is quite different from the one they left and that fact shows itself throughout the movie. One of the first dramatic scenes where these changes are evident involves a bear. Lucy Pevensie remembers the animals of Narnia talking when they lived there before and thus approaches the bear without fear. The bear roars and starts to charge. The other children start to tell the bear to stop to no avail. When it seems that Lucy will surely be killed by the bear, Trumpkin kills it with an arrow. Dismayed by her near death and the death of the animal Lucy asks "Why didn't he stop, it was almost like he couldn't talk." To this Trumpkin replies "Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, and that's what you become." 

That statement stood out to me in a big way. I started thinking about all the ways it was true in our lives. People, myself included, can rise and fall by others' beliefs about them. We tell young girls that they need to be a certain size and look a certain way in order to be considered beautiful. (you might not say those words but the society around you does) So as that young girl matures, she struggles with her looks because she doesn't meet the expectations. A child is told over and over that he/she is dumb/stupid/ignorant because they struggle in school. They begin to believe and behave as if they are dumb/stupid/ignorant. Our society preaches the value of wealth and power, and if we are not careful we can fall into the trap of seeking after those things and we will lose sight of what is important. 

Why does this matter? First I think it should be a wake-up call to each of us that we need to be careful of the "truths" we speak into people's lives. Words have power, and we can be a positive influence or a negative one. As the saying goes, you might be the only Bible some people ever read. Second, I think this line of thought should remind us of the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who will lift us up and set us right when need be. There's a reason God tells us in Acts not to forsake meeting together with other believers. We need people in our lives who will remind us of who we are in Christ, and challenge us to live the truth of His Word. We need each other. Our world is becoming more and more mobile and individualized, and less and less societal. I can easily spend so much time writing this blog and surfing the internet in the evening that I go to bed without having spent any quality time with my wife and children. We need people who will remind us of God's love and God's plan...