Harry Potter and MTW

So a couple weeks ago I was at the Mission to the World (missions organization for the Presbyterian Church in America) Asia-Pacific conference in Malaysia. I had never been around that many missionaries before in my life. It didn't really hit me until later on in the week to actually look at these people. I started thinking about their lives and the places they live and the things they go through every day. I'm not into glorifying missionaries, shoot - I think every Christian is technically a missionary wherever they live.

But anyways, I started thinking about these people and the spiritual battles they've been through and the things they've seen God do in their own and others' lives and the spiritual gifts they have.

Awhile ago, when I was reading the last Harry Potter, I was thinking about how cool it would be if everyone had some kind of power, like something that could define them. Each of the characters has something that establishes their character. They are who they are.

And then I started thinking about the famous line in C.S. Lewis' The Weight of Glory about other Christians: "If we were to see them in their glorified forms we would be tempted to bow down and worship them."

It seems as if, underneath all the superficial dorkiness of the missionaries, they are warriors. They have scars from past battles, and terrifying spiritual gifts.

I love that glimpse of people in this form that you get after hearing their life story. Suddenly they're not someone you say hi to at college group, they're someone to stare at in wonder.