"But Jack, you can't say He does things for no reason. You have to say that you don't know what His reasons are. Just because you don't know the reason doesn't mean God doesn't have a reason for what He does."

Jack's conversations with Owen gave him a lot to consider. He eventually decided that his author friends were right, and he could resist God no longer. Finally, in 1931, C. S. Lewis became a Christian.

Jack's new faith immediately affected his life. Already an accomplished author, Jack used his writing skills to present the case for Christianity to his atheist friends. He also used the creativity and imagination he had developed as a child to create fascinating stories that would teach spiritual truth to people of all ages.

Jack Tells a Story
"Uncle Jack! Uncle Jack! Tell me a story! Please?"

Lucy Barfield was actually Jack's goddaughter, not his niece, but who was he to argue?

"Well, Lucy, it was a cold winter day and a few inches of powdery snow had fallen to the ground. A little girl named Lucy stood beside a lamppost."

Lucy interrupted him. "Is that me, Uncle Jack? Is it me?"

"Of course, Lucy," Jack replied. "We can pretend it was you. You were standing beside the lamppost and what did you see come walking by?"

"A dinosaur?" said Lucy hopefully.

"No, I don't think so. Too big. Let's see--you were standing there beside a lamppost at the edge of an enchanted forest."

Lucy interrupted again. "How did I get there? Where is the enchanted forest?"

"Hmm--I think the enchanted forest is in the far off country of Narnia. You got there through a secret passage in a magical wardrobe. The first thing you saw was a faun who walked by, muttering to himself. He had an umbrella in one hand and several packages tucked under his other arm.

"But Uncle Jack, what's a faun?" Lucy asked, her voice confused.

The Chronicles of Narnia
The first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe holds the answer to Lucy's question. This first book of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia was dedicated to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield. Lucy was the daughter of Owen Barfield, the friend who helped Jack see the truth about God. The stories of Narnia (seven in all) were intended to entertain children, but Jack wanted them to be more than just entertainment. Generations of children and adults around the world have learned spiritual truths through Jack's magical world of Narnia.

Several of the Chronicles have been made into movies, and a movie, Shadowlands, has also been made about C. S. Lewis and his wife Joy. Joy died of cancer only four years after she and Jack were married. Unlike his mother's death, Joy's death did not cause him to deny the existence of God. Although the pain of Joy's death was overwhelming, Jack still clung to the faith that he had defended for decades.

Make It Real! Questions to make you dig a little deeper and think a little harder.

1. What is your favorite rainy day activity? How did Jack's rainy day fun help to prepare him for his life's work?
2. People come to faith in Jesus through many different ways. What was the key to helping C.S. Lewis believe in God and become a Christian? How about you? What has helped you to understand God better?
3. When Jack was an atheist, his Christian friends helped point him to God. If you had an atheist friend, what could you say to help him or her believe in God?
4. If you have read C. S. Lewis' Narnia books, think about the different characters and events in the books. What spiritual lessons have you taken from these books?

• Suggested reading:
  • The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis (Zondervan)
  • Audiodrama: The Chronicles of Narnia Focus on the Family Audiodrama on CD (Tyndale House)