"I was the lion." And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. "I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"
"It was I."
"But what for?"
"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."

-CS Lewis, "The Horse and His Boy" (Chronicles of Narnia)

Sometimes God brings comfort. Sometimes He brings protection. Sometimes He brings pain. Someday when this life is over and I stand face to face with Him, I want to ask Him what my story is. I want to see this tapestry in its fullness. I know many of the situations in which He has brought me comfort. I know of a few times when He has protected me, though I am sure there are infinitely more. And I know of the periods when He has orchestrated pain in my life...I want to know what the purpose was. I want to see this life through His eyes. But I'm not there yet.

As for now, I must live content in what I do know...simply that He is good...not safe, as Lucy discovered, but certainly good. When life pulls the rug out from underneath me, I can rest assured that He is good and loves His children. Show me grace, though...I'm a slow learner and am still learning to believe it in my heart at times.