I Was the Lion

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ~ 1 John 4:16

"Child," said the Lion, "I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own." ~ C.S. Lewis, The Horse & His Boy

For the past several weeks, I have been reading aloud my all-time favorite book in the Narnia series to my third graders. Until I read it again, I couldn't quite tell you why The Horse & His Boy was my favorite. Certainly I enjoyed the dynamic of the characters and their adventures beyond Narnia's borders. My students have most definitely loved meeting old friends again in Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, Edmund, Lucy, & Susan. But still it seems an obscure choice. 

Reading it again, I realized that what I love most about this particular book is that the true climax doesn't happen at the end. Really, the final battle and the events that flow from it are the falling action. The definitive scene that turns the rest of the story around is the moment when Shasta (the Boy) meets Aslan. But in reality, this wasn't their first meeting. 

“I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.” 

From his earliest days to the present, C.S. Lewis showcases the moments in Shasta's life when Aslan was not only present, but purposefully acting on his behalf. And the truth is, every one of those moments was marked by pain, by suffering, by discomfort. It's a twist in the story, and one that, given the blatant analogies to the Gospel, causes me to pause. 

What does this say about God's presence and movement in my own life? Many times I am tempted to interpret my losses and disappointments as results of God's neglect or abandon. If He was good or sovereign, He wouldn't have let that happen. What if it's the opposite? What if the very thing that causes me to stumble, turn back, run faster, and lean harder is actually His grace? 

Knowing the love of God and believing the love of God are two very different things. Knowledge tells me that His love is a fact, but that fact has no significance until I start actively believing it. Believing that the painful moments actually make my story more worthwhile, more beautiful. Believing that His hand was in every one of them, graciously opening up a void that could only be filled by Him.  

It was through despair that Aslan delivered a boy from filthy rags to royal robes, and it is through brokenness that God turns my ashes into beauty. Praise be to Him!

.......

Updates from HIS Third Grade!

Check out these third grade smarties! We have been studying plants in Science and recently learned about plant cells. We played a fun game so that each student acted out one of the plant cell jobs. It looks like our Cell Wall protectors (front & center) aren't messing around!

Our plant cell and plant parts diagrams

Every year at the end of September, Highlands hosts a "Spring Festival" as a school fundraiser and a celebration of this unique community. (Yes, we are enjoying warmer spring weather. Welcome to the Southern Hemisphere!) Here are a couple photos from the event! I played on one of our teacher teams for the soccer tournament.  

 Header!

(Fun fact: Our school used to be an old brick factory. In the background, you can see a reminder of how God can transform ruins for His glorious purposes!)

After the sports tournaments, the school hosts food vendors and lots of games, including a Dunk Tank and Pie Toss with teacher involvement. This year I lucked out and didn't win the student vote for the Pie Toss (they must love me). Instead, I manned this charming Duck Pond game, which was dominated by two- & three-year-old cuties. No complaints here.

Meanwhile in third grade... we are mastering our Daily 4 time, which is our Literacy Block with four rotations: Read to Self, Read to Someone, Word Work, and Work on Writing. Here are two buddies connecting "Icky Irregular Plurals" together in a puzzle. 

Gotta capture those moments when the room is quiet with busy readers & writers!

ROBOTS & MONSTERS! We have been having a blast in Math recently. As we studied the concepts of Area & Perimeter, the kids made their own robots and had to calculate the area of each body part. Measurement never looked better.

The long-awaited third grade multiplication unit has arrived! How to get them all excited? Turn it into "Monster Multiplication." Here's a photo of one of our Multiplication Folders, where we'll store vocabulary, flashcards, charts, and example problems. 

"Multiplication doesn't scare me!"

For one of our initial activities, the kids made Multiplication Monsters! They had to roll dice to find 2 factors they would multiply together. The product equaled how many eyes, arms, legs, horns, and fangs their monster would have. The result? 14 unique little monsters. As the third graders learn multiplication facts, their monsters will move up to more advanced levels! 

Class Incentive: Our class monster (which they named "Chestnut Multiplication"...don't ask me why). He will gain a googly eyeball every time someone passes a multiplication fact quiz. We can't wait to see how he turns out! :)

Yes, those are butterflies! We've decided that the fluorescent jump ropes must attract them because they look like a good place to find nectar. (Yes, Science connection!) 

 Best part of my job? Little love notes and random hugs in the middle of class. These kiddos definitely know how to encourage me. Thankful for them every day.