Scratching Off the Dragon

In C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the spoiled boy Eustace Scrubb falls asleep on a dragon's hoard and wakes to discover he has become a dragon himself. His greed has literally reshaped him into the thing he worshiped. He is miserable, cut off from his companions, unable to speak or be known.

Then Aslan appears and tells Eustace to undress — to peel off his dragon skin. Eustace tries. He scratches at the scales, and a layer peels away. But underneath lies another layer, just as thick. He tears again. More scales. No matter how many times he strips himself down, the dragon remains.

Finally Aslan says, "You will have to let me undress you." The lion's claws cut so deep that Eustace believes they have gone straight into his heart. The pain is extraordinary. But when it is over, Eustace is a boy again — raw-skinned, trembling, and free. Aslan throws him into a well of clear water, and the sting gives way to a comfort beyond anything he has known.

This is the uncomfortable truth about restoration. We can scratch at the surface of our brokenness — drop a habit, manage an anger, rearrange our behavior — but the dragon goes deeper than our own hands can reach. Real restoration requires surrendering to the One whose healing cuts to the bone. The Almighty does not restore us gently because He loves us carelessly. He restores us deeply because He loves us completely.