Lately, I’ve been thinking about the dwarfs in the Narnia stories. They are interesting creatures, extremely skeptical and generally self-interested. Black dwarfs are especially so, and have a mean streak to boot. I’ve particularly been thinking about Nikabrik, the black dwarf in Prince Caspian. Nikabrik doesn’t care about Aslan or the human king who others regard as an answer to prophesy. He is motivated solely by negative experiences and emotions.
Eventually, when it seems all is lost in the war against the Telemarines, Nikabrik reveals a plan that involves resurrecting the White Witch by black magic. Of course, this plan is anathema to Caspian. In the ensuing struggle, Nikabrik is killed and lamented by Caspian, who says, “I am sorry for Nikabrik, though he hated me from the first moment he saw me. He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace.”
There is a lot of truth in Nikabrik’s story. Continual hardship can make us bitter, if we allow ourselves to be shaped by it. And, like in Nikabrik’s case, bitterness can cause us to lose our moral foundations, so that we are willing to embrace evil if it furthers our selfish goals.
What’s the antidote to this bitterness? Jesus said that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it. That was certainly the case with Nikabrik. But Jesus also said that whoever loses his life for His sake, and the sake of the gospel, will save it. That is, if we are willing to hold onto Jesus like the good Narnians held onto hope in Aslan against all odds, then that is our salvation. We need to realize that our real life is not physical, but spiritual. Everyone dies physically, but those who become bitter through life’s hardships die spiritually even before their physical death.
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