Dumbledor/Rowling Wisdom!!

Good Morning! Hope you each had a great Christmas and have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful weekend. It’s interesting, I have actually been sleeping much better than normal the last few weeks and also waking up very early. Today I made it to 5:30am which is recently a late but have enjoyed thinking and reading some. Let me share a quick thought from one of the books I was revisiting this morning.

In 1997 J.K. Rowling came out with the first Harry Potter book. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. I have been a reader all my life and was aware of this new series but at that point not interested in reading. It may have been 1998 Michael who has also always enjoyed reading, started this book. At this point I had heard a few negative ideas about Harry Potter, being satanic and all kinds of different thoughts. Michael seemed very interested and I thought I need to check it out and see if it is okay for him to be reading.

So I picked up a copy one day and started reading. To be very honest, I could not put it down. I found the writing so fun and fascinating that I read through it pretty quickly. To this day I remember getting to the end and having a moment where I read something and my belief about this story was greatly impacted. I read one sentence of explanation from Dumbledore and decided I was 100% in with this series and over the years read each book the first few days they were released.

Voldemort is the bad and evil spirit that is trying to destroy everything that is good and loved. He has lost much of his power but in each book his power is growing and eventually Harry will have to completely confront and destroy or be destroyed by Voldemort. At the end of this first story Harry now understands that Voldemort had killed both of his parents and when he tried to take Harry’s life it left a scar, but somehow Harry’s mom had saved his life.

Harry ask Dumbledore a couple of big questions at the end of book 1. The first is. “Sir, there are some other things I’d like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about…” I love Dumbledores initial response to this. “The Truth” Dumbledore sighed. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you forgive me. I shall of course not lie.”

Can I pause here for second. Do you believe the truth can be both a “beautiful and terrible” thing? I am so drawn into this idea. For 57 years I have been growing in living more and more into the truth of this life. When I was younger the truth often seemed terrible and I had many ways to avoid, not think about or simply deny the truth. That did not work very well for me. I did at some point begin to realize there is absolutely Beauty in the truth. Not always comfortable but the more I could live and walk in truth, my life was healthier and better.

The next question Harry ask is such a big question and Dumbledores response was so powerful to me the first time I read this book. Harry basically wants to know, understand why he was not killed like his mother and father? Dumbledore’s response completely pulled me into the book and the eventual series of books. Sit with this truth for a minute….

“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves it’s own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved as deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for that reason. It was agony for someone to touch a person marked by something so good.”

Love, being loved and knowing that you are loved is a game changer. I really resonate with this truth that Dumbledore throws out. Truth really is “beautiful and terrible.” Living and growing in truth over the years in no way removes some of the terrible parts of this broken world we live in, but living more and more in the truth absolutely grows one’s ability to see what is “Beautiful.”

There are many ways to learn and know you are loved. Over the years what has impacted me more profoundly than any experience is the knowledge and understanding that I am loved by the God of Creation. This verse undid me years ago. One of the first times I felt like The Holy Spirit spoke directly to me and created tears of joy! “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 For me everything starts with this truth. I am a child, loved by the God of creation.

Over the years I questioned that a little from time to time but not very much any more. I have a brain tumor, there is a very high probability that my time is very limited. So far there has not been 2 seconds of questioning God’s love and value for me. Knowing I am loved by God helps me navigate the “beautiful and terrible.” This life is temporary for each of us. There are some very real challenges and suffering. Life is not about being fair!! Life is about learning how to live our best. To find some little ways and areas to make a difference and make the world just a little better place.

Let me encourage you to focus, remember, find little ways each day to recognize what is good in your life. Learn and grow in the truth that you matter and are loved. As you focus on what is good then find a small way to encourage someone else, remind someone today that they are loved and of great value. Don’t ignore the the terrible but FOCUS on the Beautiful.

You are loved and of great value!!!

Peace,