The Claws That Healed

In C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the insufferable boy Eustace Scrubb is transformed into a dragon by his own greed. Desperate to become human again, he begins scratching at the scales himself, peeling away one layer after another. Each time, he thinks he has finally broken through — only to discover yet another layer of dragon skin underneath. His own efforts, however frantic, cannot reach deep enough.

Then Aslan appears. "You will have to let me undress you," the great lion says. And when Aslan's claws pierce the dragon hide, they cut far deeper than Eustace ever dared go himself. It is agonizing. But when the last layer is torn away, Aslan plunges Eustace into a pool of clear water, and the boy emerges whole — tender-skinned, trembling, and finally free.

This is how the Almighty so often works in our healing. We try to peel away our own pain, our addictions, our bitterness. We manage a layer or two through sheer willpower, only to find the wound goes deeper than we imagined. Real healing requires hands stronger and more knowing than our own — hands willing to reach into places we cannot bear to touch ourselves.

The good news is that Jehovah Rapha, the God Who Heals, does not leave us in our dragon skin. His work may cut deep, but it cuts toward wholeness.