A Story To Tell – Ashton Gresham
Golden Boots – I didn’t win, nor did I represent SL, but let me tell you a little story, a story of a great man who shined out from a life of darkness.
Jack, as he was known by his closest friends and family, was born in Belfast, Ireland in November 1898. As a young boy, Jack was enraptured with mythical animals and stories of gallantry.
This led him and his brother Warren to create fantastical lands of their own, however not fantastical enough to escape the jaws of reality. When Jack was ten his mother sadly passed away.
Despite having already gone through more than many of us boys have in our lives, Jack didn’t let it slow him down. At the age of 16, World War One broke out, and as soon as he could he started active service. At the age of sixteen, for me, the most nerve racking thing I did was trying to get my L-plates.
After reaching the rank of Second Lieutenant in one of the most respected divisions in the British Army, Jack was wounded by shrapnel and was honourably discharged towards the end of the war at the ripe old age of… twenty. Only three years older than me.
After his impressive achievements in the army, Jack returned to complete his university education at the highly esteemed Oxford University. After graduating with a focus on literature and philosophy, he was invited back to teach. Whilst there, he joined a group of writers known as ‘The Inklings’, who counted among their members Jack’s brother, Warren, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
And this is where his story really kicks off. Jack found himself, after years of disillusionment, re-embracing Christianity. This prompted him to use his skills to begin writing books, many of which are now well-known works.
Much later on, when Jack was in his early forties, World War Two broke out and, despite his previous injuries, he attempted to re-enlist but the war office felt that his time was better spent putting his writings and intellect towards community morale and the war effort at home.
During the six years of war, Jack became famous for his radio broadcasts about faith. His speeches to a war-ravaged Britain were then compiled into one of the period’s most influential books, Mere Christianity.
Five years after the Second World War, Jack published his most famous book which remains a classic to this day – The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. It was then, in 1956, that Jack (known to you as C.S Lewis) was “Surprised by Joy”, who, as fate would have it, happens to be my own great grandmother.
They were married that year. Those years of marriage were the happiest of his life, albeit short-lived. After only four years of marriage, Joy died of cancer.
Three years later, Jack resigned and on November the 22nd 1963, Clive Staples Lewis, as bright a star as any, passed away.
At the end of the day, C.S. Lewis died a sad but fulfilled man. Despite all the darkness around him, despite all the pain and suffering. In fact, it was only because of his trials that he could see the stars. And it is because of them that he became a star for millions. As the man himself said, “pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world”.
So lads, let C.S. Lewis be an example to you. Rejoice in your suffering, for your suffering is the darkness that reveals your blessings. And count your blessings for your blessings are the stars.
