Daily we’re exposed to endless streams of news and media to consume. And it’s easy to become so overstimulated with such content that our souls have grown numb. We have eyes, but we can no longer see true goodness and beauty. We must slow down and learn to contemplate once again. This is how we step through the wardrobe into the fullness of life Christ has for us.
To be sure, Lucy in Narnia didn’t just see the wardrobe for its utilitarian function. She opened her heart to see beyond the ordinary and into the transcendent – into a deeper and truer reality. And it’s in the same way we must learn to see and contemplate things in our daily life.
To contemplate is to slow down enough to simply receive and be with an image or an experience without the need to figure it out or do anything in particular with it. It just is. No need to dissect, analyze, or otherwise attempt to control. Rather, we live by faith – opening our hearts and trusting the adventure God is inviting us into.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we become naïve and allow dark forces to turn our hearts away from God. We must remain wise and discerning regarding what we allow ourselves to consider deeply. All the same, contemplating is part of how we exercise our spiritual vision. We’re prone to digest all sorts of poison when we just blindly consume.
In contemplation, we begin to see as God sees, and ordinary wardrobes become pathways into the mysteries of God and the rich life he has for us. Indeed everyday life becomes a living icon – opening our hearts to more of God, others, and even our very selves.
In the end, life remains shallow and empty when you merely consume. But to contemplate is to walk through the wardrobe and experience God’s world as it truly is – radiant, beautiful, and full of his presence.
