Tell us a story, Father.” Bruce and Fred climbed up on their father’s knee, and begged him for a story before they went to bed.
“Shall I tell you a story of a boy or a girl?”
“Of a boy, please—a brave boy.”
“A number of years ago there was a boy named Harold. His mother was a widow, and she loved the Lord Jesus. Her son also was a bright happy Christian, and when Harold grew up, he decided to go to sea on a merchant vessel. When he left home his dear mother kissed him and said, ‘My deal boy, be true to the Lord Jesus wherever you are and whatever it may cost.’
“The very first evening on the ship, Harold knelt to pray. The other men had never been in the habit of praying, and so they decided it would be fun to mock this new young boy. They shouted at him, but still he knelt silently before the Lord. One of the biggest men poured a jug of cold water over his head. But still he prayed on. Many times they tried to make him feel ashamed of his Saviour, but when Harold thought of how much’ the Saviour suffered for him, he asked God to keep him true and faithful. He often thought of that verse, ‘Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not.’ 1 Pet. 2:2323Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: (1 Peter 2:23).
“These things were only the beginnings of Harold’s sufferings. The ringleader in all the persecution was a young man named Fritz. For some reason they all called him ‘Black Fritz.’ He was in the habit of calling Harold all kinds of nicknames, which were then taken up and used by the others. Often poor Harold would go up to the top of the mast where he could be alone with the Lord in prayer. There he told the Lord of his troubles, and then came down strengthened and comforted.
“One day a severe storm came on very suddenly, tearing one of their highest sails. The captain ordered black Fritz to go up and take in that sail. Now it happened that Fritz was very brave when doing mischief to others. but he was a coward at heart. When he looked at the swaying mast, and the torn sail, he turned very pale and shook all over. Just then brave Harold stepped up. ‘Please, captain, let me go up there in Fritz’ place.’ The captain looked amazed, ‘But my boy, you have only been on board three months and you don’t know the danger of this work.’ ‘Yes, sir, I wish to go up in Fritz’ place.’
“Every eye on board was fixed on Harold while he was up at the top of top swinging mast. He quickly and carefully finished his work and came nimbly down again. When he was safe on deck again, black Fritz fell down at his feet and cried, ‘A pious and God-fearing boy you may be, but a coward you are not. Please tell me what made you act like that toward He when I have always been your enemy?’”
Father got just this far in his story when he said,
“And now, boys, can you guess whom this story speaks of?”
“It sounds just like our good Uncle Harold, but who could wicked black Fritz be? We don’t know anybody like that.”
“That, I am sorry to say, was myself; but after I learned to know Harold’s Saviour as my own, we became fast friends. He is now as dear me as a brother, and that is why he always wants you to call him Uncle Harold.”
Bruce and Fred never forgot that story; and they, too, soon learned to know their own sinfulness, and accepted the Lord Jesus as their own Saviour. I have not heard of them for some time, but I hope they may grow up to confess and live for their Lord and Saviour as their Uncle Harold.
ML 02/18/1951