There’s a reason C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia are such an everlasting hit. My theory is that the reason is…closets! In these stories, Narnia is a mystical land that exists inside a wardrobe, which is basically a moveable closet. And there’s just something about that fantastical idea that rings true, isn’t there? I mean, who hasn’t gotten lost inside a messy closet?
Entering a disordered closet can feel like an epic misadventure. I’ve gone to look for something I needed in a jumbled closet and felt like I must have been in there for years before emerging, usually frustrated and empty handed.
Sometimes we go into a messy closet and get so bombarded by the barrage of things inside that we forget what we were originally looking for. Sometimes we end up making a mess outside the closet because there’s so much stuff we need to clear out of there to even begin to find anything or make sense of what’s inside. Sometimes we might even spend hours on what was only supposed to take a few minutes, enraptured by all the forgotten delights and doodads we come upon when we enter that messy little world. Other times we feel so daunted by the prospect of all that might lie within a messy closet that we don’t even dare open it!
Just like the children in The Chronicles of Narnia, we may find entering our own disarrayed closet world to be overwhelming and perplexing at first. However, we can also take a lesson from the brave young characters and take matters into our own hands. In order to make sense of the chaos within that enchanted closet, the children in these stories take the situation by the reins and commit themselves to slogging through all the challenges they might encounter. In the end, they develop strength of character and become the noble rulers of the land of Narnia, which had come to peace and order.
With a little guidance from the famed lore of Narnia, the focus and commitment to plow through whatever challenges we might face, and a few closet organizers to top it off, we can find the inspiration and encouragement we need to conquer our own chaotic closet worlds. You too can become the noble ruler of your closets and run a neat, well-organized kingdom. Trust me, it’ll be worth the adventure.
