Dobby's Wisdom

I have been reading through the Harry Potter series over the last few months.  I have never read them before - I just knew they were always a touchy subject among Christians.  Once I decided where I stood, I decided to read them for myself.  So far (I'm about halfway through Book #4 - so don't ruin any of the surprises!), I am really enjoying them.  I read a few pages this morning and something really caught me about a passage concerning Dobby, the house-elf.  VERY long story made short, house-elves are pretty much slaves, but they have been slaves for so long they actually think they enjoy it.  They just can't imagine any other life than what they have.  Dobby, however, sees the truth about his condition and wants very badly to be free.  But under the house-elves laws, he is a slave for life... until Harry steps in and helps him be freed from his master.  All of that is back-story to what I was reading this morning.



In the new passage, the story picks up with Dobby a couple years after he was freed and expands to include a new friend of his, a fellow house-elf (and one recently freed as well) named Winky.  Winky and Dobby are about as different as can be, with the obvious exceptions.  Winky hates her freedom and wants to go back to her master.  Her feelings are reflected in her clothes even, which for a house-elf are a sign of freedom:  she is wearing a nice skirt, shirt, and hat, but you can see she does not take care of them.  They are stained and dirty.  Dobby, however, loves being free, despite some complications it brings with it.  And his feelings are also reflected in his clothes:  even though his clothes are not so nice as Winky's, he has taken great care of them, and it is clear that he is quite proud of them.

Now, I was thinking about this... Dobby's clothes were sort of odd-looking... a teapot cover for a hat, mis-matched socks, etc.  But he was proud of them.  He enjoyed them.  And although Winky had very nice clothes, she took them for granted.  What was the difference?

I think it was this:  Dobby felt his chains and Winky did not.  Dobby saw the truth of his situation and wanted to be free.  Winky never understood just how bound she really was and, therefore, never wanted to be free.  She resented her clothes for what they represented to her.  But Dobby loved his clothes because to him, they were a sign of his freedom.

Reminds me again that without a real, profound understanding of our sin, how can we really understand God's grace?

"If your sin be small, your God will be small.  But if your sin be great, your God will be great."

--Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest Baptist preachers of all time

Lord, help me to never forget the depravity you pulled me from... and help me to always experience the joy of my salvation, for while it was free to me, it cost you everything!