Things really picked up in these chapters of The Half-Blood Prince. Slughorn gave up the memory he had been hiding. Hermione and Ron patched things up. And Harry finally made his move and planted one on Ginny.
I know that the book will only keep moving from here but, before we get to the exciting conclusion, below are some thoughts from chapters 19-24 of The Half-Blood Prince.
Trust
This thought isn’t from chapters 19-24 but I forgot to include it last week. When Harry goes to the Burrows for Christmas he has a conversation with Lupin. Harry suggests that Dumbledore is wrong about Snape and Lupin responds with this statement:
People have said it, many times. It comes down to whether or not your trust Dumbledore’s judgment. I do; therefore, I trust Severus.
Based upon my love for Alan Rickman, I want Snape to be a good guy and help save the day. I also love what Lupin said about Dumbledore; it mirrors the attitude we should have toward God. If we trust in God then we need to trust in all that he does. I trust that God is sovereign and good; I therefore trust that he working everything for good. In dark times when it would be easy to doubt God’s goodness, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we believe that God is good. If we believe that he is good then we can trust that he is working, in spite of what we might see.
Disappointment
We’ve all disappointed someone at some point and it feels horrible. The worst is when we disappoint someone and, instead of getting angry, he or she simply shakes his or her head. Harry had this same experience with Dumbledore when he wasn’t able to acquire Slughorn’s memory.
Dumbledore had not raised his voice, he did not even sound angry, but Harry would have preferred him to yell; this cold disappointment was worse than anything.
Worse than disappointing a parent or a friend, is when we know we’ve disappointed God. I hate thinking that God is watching my life, shaking his head in disappointment every time I willfully sin; I’m sure there are some days when he gets a kink in his neck. Even though our sin might disappoint God, we need to remember that his love outweighs any disappointment. He is always willing to extend his grace and mercy to us, no matter how often we make him think “SMH”.
Drunk
Slughorn got trashed. It helped Harry get the information he needed but it’s a good lesson in why the Bible warns against drunkenness. I’m not one of those Baptists opposed to drinking. I’ll have a beer or some wine but never to the point of getting drunk. I’ve seen what excessive drinking leads to. At best it leads to acting the fool and losing control of your actions. At worst it leads to car crashes or alcoholism. The Bible is clear that drunkenness is an act of the flesh, something we should abandon as we clothe ourselves with righteousness. And if God’s word isn’t enough to convince us, maybe J.K. Rowling’s words are.
The Half-Blood Prince has been great so far. I’ve again been entertained by the relationship between Hermione and Ron, as well as all the knowing glances Hermione gave Harry concerning Ginny. I’m excited to finish the book and see how its conclusion sets the stage for the series’ finale.
What thoughts do you have from chapters 19-24 of The Half-Blood Prince?
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