The Story of Others

In the 3^rd book in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy, there is an interesting scene in which Aslan reveals himself to the boy Shasta and explains that he (Aslan) had guided and helped Shasta on numerous occasions in his life.  One of those was the event that had just transpired in which Shasta, the girl Aravis, and their two horses were racing to arrive at Archenland to warn the king of an approaching army.  A lion had attacked them causing them to speed up even more, and Aslan explained to Shasta, “I was the lion who gave the Horses a new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time.”  But in that process of chases the horses, the lion had attacked and actually wounded Aravis.  Shasta quickly pointed this out, “Then it was you who wounded Aravis?”  When Aslan admitted to the same, Shasta questioned, “But what for?”  Aslan responded with what I think is a profound lesson for us: “Child, I am telling you your story, not hers.  I tell no one any story but his own” (pgs. 164-165). 

Aslan of course is the Christ figure in the book, and I think the point is that we can’t fully understand God’s dealings with others.  While we might be tempted to look at others’ sufferings and blame God, we see only the exterior and can’t really understand someone else’s “story”.  For example, as a missionary I often heard people in France tell me that they didn’t believe in God, and they would point to all of the suffering of people in Africa.  One companion would respond, “But those people “suffering” in Africa actually believe in God!”  Ultimately I think we have to look inward at our own life and relationship with God to understand Him and see His hand.

                I think we see examples in then scriptures that teach this same principle.  In the parable of the allegory tree the Lord of the vineyard said to the servant about some of the trees, “These will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee” (Jacob 5:13).  In other words, the servant didn’t need to understand why the Lord was treating the other trees as he was.  In the story of Amulek and Alma at Ammonihah, there were many of the believers who were cast into the fire.  Amulek questioned Alma suggesting, “ Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames” (Alma 14:10).  I think what Amulek was really saying was, “Why is God letting these righteous people suffer? Why doesn’t He stop them?”  But it wasn’t really for Amulek to understand and I imagine that he had to exercise great faith to not reject his new found way of life even though he couldn’t understand God’s actions. 

The angel asked Nephi, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”  Nephi replied, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17).  We can’t understand everything that the Lord does, but we can know that He loves His children and ultimately wants what is best for them.  We have to be careful to be less quick to judge God’s dealings with others and focus on the only relationship with God that matters: our own.