Everyday Heroes: The Call to Adventure 2

Craig Repp pointed out in our class that the Call can consist of several points. It can be a Call to reclaim something that was lost. It can be a Call to find something that is lacking. The Call can be a quest to restore honor. Another kind of Call can be to win back rights that have been denied. These and others can make up the reason(s) for the Call. [I’m capitalizing Call on purpose. I want us to get used to the idea that it is epic in its proportions, and not some secondary or tertiary event]

“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis is a journey to save seven lost lords of Narnia. One of my favorite chapters is called “The Dark Island”. The Dawn Treader sails up to what they believe at first to be an island, but which in fact is an intense blackness. The sails are taken in and a debate ensues between the king, the captain and others about whether or not to sail into this darkness. In the midst of the debate, when the conversation seemed to be an agreement not to go forward, Reepicheep, the bothersome mouse chimes in.

“And why not?” he said. “Will someone explain to me why not.”
No one was anxious to explain, so Reepicheep continued:
“If I were addressing peasants or slaves,” he said, “I might suppose that this suggestion proceeded from cowardice. But I hope it will never be told in Narnia that a company of noble and royal persons in the flower of their age turned tail because they were afraid of the dark.”
“But what manner of use would it be ploughing through that blackness?” asked Drinian.
“Use?” replied Reepicheep. “Use, Captain? If by use you mean filling our bellies or our purses, I confess it will be no use at all. So far as I know we did not set sail to look for things useful but to seek honour and adventures. And here is as great an adventure as ever I heard of, and here, if we turn back, no little impeachment of all our honours.”
Several of the sailors said things under their breath that sounded like “Honour be blowed,” but Caspian said:
“Oh, bother you, Reepicheep. I almost wish we’d left you at home. All right! If you put it that way, I suppose we shall have to go on. Unless Lucy would rather not?”
Lucy felt that she would very much rather not, but what she said out loud was, “I’m game.”

The end result of their honoring the Call is the saving of one of the lost lords.

I like this aspect of call for several reasons. Reepicheep first appeals to the sense of nobility of those he is addressing. I don’t know if we have a high enough view of humanity, of our own humanity, in our day-to-day living. Living each day is a noble task. We take up responsibilities for ourselves and for others. We do the mundane things. We do the hard things. We do the unnoticed things. We do the little things. All of this adds up to a life that makes a difference. We often don’t value all the little things in ourselves and in others, and therefore cannot appreciate the accumulated impact that each of our lives has on others. God views us as noble creatures worthy of the giving of his Son. O that we would notice this truth.
Second, Reepicheep appeals to the quality of the adventure. It is as great a challenge that he has ever heard of. It is not about usefulness, it is truly about adventure. Human beings are explorers. O, we may be more like Bilbo, not really wanting to leave the comfort of our Hobbit holes, but we are explorers and doers by nature. In this sense we are much like God. He is the “Hound of Heaven” ever searching for the lost and the runaway. Pursuing us even as we seek to hide from his presence. So we too seek. We seek answers, we seek glory, we seek solace, we seek help, we seek home. We are a people on the lookout.

Third, Reepicheep appeals to our vanity. Don’t turn tail. Don’t be a coward. Don’t run and hide. What is life if not taking a chance?

The Call of God appeals to us on many levels – the sense of who we are, the character of the adventure, and our own character.

Are you aware of God’s call upon your life? Do you feel tugged down life’s roads? Are you aware of a pending adventure? Pay attention.