Lord Mountbatten

Transcript

Lord Mountbatten was a decorated British Naval commander. He was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and an Allied commander in the South Pacific in World War II.

As a little boy, however, the future naval hero was afraid to go to bed in the dark. "It isn’t the dark," he once confided to his father. "Wolves are up there."

"There are no wolves in this house," his father reassured him.

But the boy was inconsolable. "Perhaps not," he said to his father, "but I think there are."

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Even as adults, we can conjure up imaginary fears that restrict our ability to act. Or we can place our trust in the One who guides our path—in the high calling of our daily work.

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

(Luke 12:4-7)

Questions for Small Groups, Personal Reflection, and Online Discussion

What did you fear as a child? Did you eventually overcome this fear? If so, how?

Image of "Christ in Triumph over Darkness and Evil" is a stained glass window by French artist Gabriel Loire in memory of Earl Mountbatten, at St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town, South Africa. Photograph © 2006 by James G. Howes, used with permission.