There is an overlooked insight into Small Groups that Clive desperately wants us to get.
The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis have sold over 100 million copies in 47 different languages, The three movies released by Disney have grossed over half a billion dollars. So yes, I’m going to assume that you know something about it.
And by a wide margin, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is the most popular of the seven novels. When you watch or read this story, I bet you do what the rest of us do. You pick a character that you most identify with. Or, should I say, which character you most want to be like.
No matter if you’re male or female, young or old, many of us want to be Lucy. She’s the most optimistic, cheerful, kind, and brave. For most of the story, she’s the main character until Aslan arrives on the scene. She’s the one who first discovers Narnia. She’s more loving and sensitive towards Aslan. She’s the most spiritually mature of the four Pevensie children.
Isn’t that who you want to be? The spiritually sensitive and senior in your part of God’s family. The one who immediately responds to God’s voice. God’s call. God’s command. After all, isn’t that why you’re involved with Small Group Network and the Small Groups within your community?
And then there’s Susan. The one who’s always sticking her nose into everybody else’s business. Mothering and smothering them. She’s totally insensitive to everyone. She’s the most cautious, the least adventurous. She’s very apprehensive about the unknown. She’s concerned with her own comfort and shows her selfishness, especially toward Lucy.
Lucy, Susan, and Small Groups
As you reach out and connect with people about Small Groups, you quickly discern if they are a Lucy or a Susan. Between Lucy and Susan, it’s a slam dunk to choose Lucy. Isn’t Lucy the one that you want in your Small Group? You pray to God for more and more people like Lucy while ignoring people like Susan. You quickly return any and all communications from Lucy types while giving low priority to people like Susan.
Of course, Lucy’s the one we’re immediately drawn to when it comes to finding and developing Small Groups. It’s easier to talk with the Lucy kind of people. Their heart’s softer towards the things of God. They respond with kindness and warmth to our emails. Their encouragement fires us up with energy and enthusiasm.
But the Susans we connect with do just the opposite. They seem to drag us down. They exhaust us. They get excited and then, nothing but crickets rubbing their legs together. They don’t return our communications. They are frustrating as they seem to do nothing but waste our precious time and energy.
Yes, we all want Lucy’s in our Small Groups. On our team. On our side. We want to be close to the Lucy’s in life. But is that who Aslan wants us to be closest to? Does God want us to spend more time reaching out to the Lucy’s of the world? Or the Susan’s?
