C.S. Lewis was a literary great and prominent apologetic voice of the 20th century. You may have grown up reading his books or have some of his writings on your bookcases today. As a young boy, Lewis attended church with his family. When he was nine years old, his mother died from cancer, and his father shipped him off to boarding school. During college, he enlisted and fought in WWI and after experiencing the harshness of life and war proclaimed he was, “very angry with God for not existing.” During this time in his life, he became good friends with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson who were both Christians. One night during a conversation, Dyson pointed out the practicality of Christianity—a religion with the power to actually free one from sin, instill peace, and provide genuine outside help to change one’s character. Around this time, one of the fiercest atheists that Lewis knew admitted that the evidence for the Gospels was surprisingly strong and that it seemed that God had indeed entered into human history after all. The core of Lewis's atheism began to crumble as friends, acquaintances, and authors of the books he was reading were all convincing him of the truth of God’s existence.
As he considered all of this revelation, he finally let go of the reins and gave in. “That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. I finally gave in and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” One day while riding to the zoo, Lewis accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Three months later, on Christmas, he would return to church, and over the next few years, he would write "The Pilgrim’s Regress," the first of his many apologetic works.
(Excerpts above from "Surprised By Joy" by C.S. Lewis.)
In his writings, Lewis showed how Christianity could appeal to those seeking answers to the great questions of life. C.S. Lewis’s life aligns with Colossians 2:13-14, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all your sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
How do these verses speak to your life? Take a moment to remember what your life was like before you invited Jesus into it. Reflect on the ways God has and continues to make you alive. How does it feel to know that all the records of the charges against you have been canceled? Today, share your faith story with someone... when, where, why, and how you became a follower of Jesus. This is one of the most impactful stories we can share with others because it points them to Jesus and tells of a life-change that can only happen through Him.