The Wood Between the Worlds
Posted on July 31, 2007
Filed Under All Things Narnian, Generally Spiritual (few if any geek references), Some slightly auto-biographical stuff | 2 Comments
Occasionally people ask how goes the unemployment gig? Well, how about a little update.
When this adventure was launched I felt rather exhilarated (see the “Altoids” article for details). But I knew that things would settle down and sure enough, they have. Now we play the waiting game, constructive waiting I hope (making a good job hunt effort), but waiting none the less.
When I’m tempted to feel like I’ll never get out of this current state of waiting for the next Big Step, I look back on the lay off and feel comforted; I really do. For I know that God graciously answered my prayers to get out in the world and start doing what I was made to do. He overcame my comfort and complacency and made it very clear that I no longer needed to stay in the old job: It was time to move on.
Cool!
Maybe this was how Digory felt when he first put on the yellow ring.
[Digory? yellow ring??? what is this guy talking about??]
Oh, bother. No doubt some of you have never read “The Magician’s Nephew,” one of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Too old for that sort of thing are we? Some may be too young but none are ever too old–unless they will themselves to be.
A brief summary: “The Magician’s Nephew” was the 6th publication of the Chronicles of Narnia — and I strongly recommend that it be read after the other 5, not just because I am a purist about the Chronicles, but because in the long run you will get more out of the books if you read them in the order that they were published. But I digress…..
Digory was a boy who, in order to rescue a girl named Polly, had to put on a yellow ring and be transported out of our “world” (universe, actually) and into a strange in between kind of place. It was a wood (or woods and we Americans call them), very peaceful, very serene, and with the most curious array of small ponds. There were ponds between the trees as far as one could possibly see.
It turns out that each “pond” was actually a portal into other worlds. From the Wood Between the Worlds Digory and Polly eventually found themselves in Narnia. Unfortunately, they brought an unexpected “guest” with them. But that is a story for another time.
I feel like I am in a Wood Between the Worlds.
It was so serene and so peaceful that Polly and Digory were tempted to never leave it. The deep quiet and serenity of the place seemed to urge them to “shut down,” take a long nap and sleep there forever. That is because the Wood Between the Worlds was not a place for staying but for getting to somewhere else. No one should ever dwell there for very long.
I feel like I am in a Wood Between the Worlds.
Getting there was a little scary for Digory and Polly at first, but then they began to realize the possibilities. That was exciting! Soon, however, they came face to face with the consequences of their choices. That was not so exciting. They realized that they could easily get lost in the Wood Between the Worlds and never find their way home. They could also make a bad choice and find themselves trapped in a dangerous world, deeply regretting that they chose one path over another (although, from the Wood, all the paths–that is, the ponds– looked the same).
I feel like I am in a Wood Between the Worlds.
Sooner or later Digory and Polly had to choose one of the ponds, leap into it and therefore into another world. But which one? Shouldn’t they just go straight home? But what about all of those other worlds? Which way should they choose?
Digory chose adventure. He chose to pick a pond, leap in and explore one of the worlds. Polly reluctantly went along with the idea. They wisely took some precautions, like marking the pond that led to their world, then they took a step of faith: They found a pond and leaped into it, not knowing what world lie on the other side.
I feel like I am in a Wood Between the Worlds.
I must fight the urge to shut down and stay here forever. Some days I must quite literally fight the urge to sleep the day away. I am also fighting “analysis paralysis;” there are so many “ponds” (job leads). Which ones should I leap into and explore? Which ones are dead ends, or just not for me?
I also need to be cautious about exploring too much, and not”finding my way back” as it were to a “safe” place. For instance, my severance pay won’t last forever. I can explore career options for a little while, but I’ll need a permanent job soon.
I know that I will need to take a leap of faith–and my “Polly” (that is, my wife) will have to leap with me. I won’t really know that “world” I’ll end up in next until I leap. They all look exactly the same from this “Wood Between the Worlds.”
But sooner or later, leap I must. I would rather find a “ministry pond” to leap into but what if something comes along that is “safe” and secure and a good job, that lands me right back in Uncle Andrew’s study, so to speak? Speaking plainly, what if I get a job offer pretty much like the job I had? I would feel almost obligated to take it. Then what? Keep looking for a ministry “pond” while holding down a day job, I suppose. It is quite possible that this next phase of my life will go that way. I really hope that it doesn’t, but it might.
As long as my next leap is in faith not fear, I’ll be OK with whatever God wants.
Lord, don’t let me return to fishing, simply because I don’t know what else to do (John 21:3, 15-19).
A little update: on Aug. 1, I decided to leap into one of the “ponds.” That is to say, I accepted a contracting position in the city.
Sept. 3:
UPDATE: you can read “Back in Uncle Andrew’s Study” for a more robust version of how the contract work is going.
On Sept. 13, late at night, I got an email from my manager/client. The company that was contracting me just announced layoffs. This meant that virtually all contractors were also affected. So, again, the concern about whether or not I should stay was clearly addressed for me. I must say that I like it when the direction is clear. Even “bad” news, when it’s clear that God is on the move (as Narnians would say), is actually comforting, motivating.