Arianna M: A Reflection and Testimony Upon Greed In My Life

A Reflection and Testimony upon Greed in my Life

Arianna Williams----Podcast Manager

Hello fellow Narnians! The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has been noticed to be an allegory for the Bible. The book is entrenched with aspects of Christianity, as C.S.Lewis wrote this children’s book as a testimony for his own faith. He wished to create an easily relatable version of Christianity for children to follow and fall in love with. Now, in accordance with this website, throughout the book it was noticed that the theme of greed was prevalent as well, as it is one of the seven deadly sins. Greed has a strong relation to one’s faith journey, as it is a factor that can easily interrupt one living righteously in God’s image.

Personally I have been influenced by greed quite a bit as a young child growing up with two older brothers. One example of greed that has stood out for me is when I misplaced my copy of “Prince Caspian” from The Narnia Series. I was miserable, but then I remembered that my brother Matthew (the boy in the middle of the picture shown above) had the book, so I decided to steal his copy and pretend it was my own. I thought it was a genius idea, until my brother, who was a huge Narnia fan, realized immediately that his book was gone. I felt terrible, but greediness overtook me and I said nothing keeping the book for myself. All was fine, except that I could not shake that guilty knot in my stomach, and continuously debated whether I should give it back and apologize or not. I knew, deep down and by my own moral code, that I should give it back. I understood that it was an un-God like notion to do, and consistently found myself arguing with myself saying that my brother’s weekly allowance was higher than my own anyway and he would easily be able to pay for the book. But, this was merely a coverup I used to appease my mind and forgive my greedy heart. In the end, my moral compass guided me to truth, and I returned the book. This is just one aspect in my life where greed has interfered with my faith. Luckily, with a little inner debate and questioning to God, I was able to set myself on the right track again. No one has a perfect faith journey, it is our sins that make us human, but even more important is how we recover from our mistakes.

I’d like to end with my favourite verse from the bible. It is a very famous quote, but it holds a deep significance for me. I like to remind myself of it whenever I feel jealous of anyone, or deeply desire something that is realistically unnecessary. It continuously reminds me that Jesus shall be the guiding force in my life, and he shall provide for me all that I need. It is a reminder that Christ is my shepherd, leading me away from greed.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23: 1-4).