Which Way Should I Go?

In the marvelous story, The Princess and Curdie*, by George MacDonald, we follow a lowly young miner, named Curdie. He comes to love and admire a wise and righteous old woman, a Princess – known as the “dear old Grandmother”. He promises to serve her, and she tells him that he must go and help the King. She does not say how he must help him, or where he must go, or what he must do – but she says he must go. And so, obedient servant that he is, he departs on his quest.

After many misadventures, he finds himself at the king’s doorway, on the run from the King’s own guard. He stops for a moment unsure if he should go in – as it would be impertinent of a lowly miner to enter the King’s chamber.

“He felt sure this must be the King’s Chamber, and it was here he was wanted.  Or, if it was not the place he was bound for, something would beat him and turn him aside. For he had come to think that so long as a man wants to do right, he may go where he can.  When he can go no farther, then it is not the way.  Only…he must really want to do right, and not merely fancy he does.  He must want it with his heart and will, and not with his rag of a tongue.” 

So often we question our place; we doubt our path or we don’t understand how or why something will be accomplished.  We also doubt our own motivations – “Am I truly trying to do good, or am I just seeking praise or acting out of self-righteousness?”  Here Curdie is confident, however, because he really wants to do right – with his heart and his will.  He isn’t seeking glory, or riches – he doesn’t care how many likes he gets on Instagram or if the other miners will be impressed by his courage.  He just wants to do right.  He wants to obey the truth he has found.  

So he moves forward, into the unknown.  As we all must.  And when he hits a wall where he can go no further, he turns and finds another way.  In the story, we see him reach many of these “dead ends”.  Yet he does good on the path that leads there – so perhaps they aren’t so “dead” after all.  Curdie, in one way, has found the answer to the complexity of life.  Rather than needing to know the why, how, or where of life – he only  knows that he “really wants to do right” and rely on the faith he has in his righteous Princess.  He knows she is good, he knows she sent him on this quest and there is a plan and a purpose.  With his heart set on doing right, his path is always the right one.

But how do we know our heart is right, and not just our “rag of a tongue”? I think in this story Curdie gives us a big clue – he is mocked and harassed by many along his path, yet he remains undaunted. He is thought to be a thief, a devil, a traitor, yet he is not seeking the good opinion of others – he seeks to do what is right. Oftentimes we question our course when we are mocked or judged by others – we start to look to others for affirmation of our “rightness”. We imagine that if we are not valued or praised we must be off-course. But the opinions of “men” are often muddied by envy, resentment, anger, or just ignorance. It is better to keep looking at our “Dear old Grandmother” and her good opinion – to keep attempting to align our steps with the will of God, or goodness, or conscience.

The scripture says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” So when we think we have made a mistake, or question which choice we should make – let’s first make sure our heart is where it should be, and then all else will unfold for good.

-Ally

Cover form The Princess and Curdie

*I highly recommend the books The Princess and the Goblin and its sequel The Princess and Curdie. A truly magical and profoundly-deep set of books for adults and children.

But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.

C.S. Lewis

G. K. Chesterton, one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th century, said that MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin , which had been read to him in the nursery, was a book that “made a difference to my whole existence, which helped me to see things in a certain way from the start.”