What ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories’ Did for Me (True Story)

 

How it all Began

In my formative years, I harboured an intense yearning for the acquisition of knowledge, especially of godly knowledge. I often found myself combing through my mum’s large pool of books for Christian literature that tickled my fancy as a kid. On this particular day, I chanced upon my mum’s collection of ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories' (about 8 volumes in all). Suffice it to state that my mum had lots of Christian literature in her library, and while I took an interest in scores of them, ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories’ left the most indelible imprint and lasting impression on my young mind.

Uncle Arthur & His Bedtime Stories    

ArthurS. Maxwell (1896-1970), fondly called Uncle Arthur was the prolific author of ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories’ and until his passing, had written more than forty volumes. Each volume encompassed a collection of true-life stories of faith, admirable courage, and godly family values among others. Virtually every story was relatable – especially to kids and the family setting. These were often short stories, written in a simple, interesting, engaging, and easily comprehensive style.

More than a Decade Later

Many years later, as a young adult, I once again spotted a few of the volumes I had read as a teenager (of course, they were not in the best of conditions, but were readable) while combing through my mum’s assortment of books packed into a box. I found myself reading several of these stories once again, some of which brought back fond memories and reminded me of some lessons and values I had been exposed to as a kid.

Back to my Teens & the Values Imbibed

As a kid, while I read scores of books, I would say without a shred of doubt that aside from the Bible and my daily devotional (‘Daily Power’), which I read daily, no other book impacted me as much as ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories’. Aside from enriching my vocabulary and perhaps my writing skills, they had a strong influence on my moral values and Christian faith. Two key values I imbibed (of course, there are several others) through reading these stories readily come to mind. They relate to exercising one’s faith through prayer and demonstrating genuine love for others by coming to their aid in their hour of need. In respect of the former, many of the stories I read were about little kids (and their families) who prayed about some of the mundane things in their lives and often received timely answers to those prayers. These inspired me greatly to pray about some of the little things in my life, believing that God will answer my prayers. More often than not, my prayers were answered.

The Story About ‘The Boy with a Bag’

I also remember reading the story “The Boy with a Bag”, the first story in volume 43 of ‘bedtime stories’. This was a story about a decently dressed young boy who appeared to be mission-driven. He carried with him a bag that contained several items that could be of help to people in varied situations. The items included but were not limited to shoe laces, pair of socks, a map of London, a lollipop, a bottle of aspirin, safety pins, and a box of band-aids.  As he walked along the street, as and when he saw a need that could be met with any of the items in his bag, he approached courteously and offered a helping hand. On this particular day, he came across a crying child and her mother. He offered to help by giving a lollipop to the child. The crying soon ceased. The young boy then offered a book to the mother of the children. As the young boy walked further, he met several other persons needing his help. Each time, he readily went to their aid and did so cheerfully and courteously. This story impressed me greatly. It soon became my favourite story amongst all the stories I read from multiple volumes of ‘Uncle Arthur’s BEDTIME Stories’. This perhaps explains why I have never forgotten that story, even after so many years.

The Impact

Shortly after reading the story about the ‘the boy with a bag’, I set out to model my life after his, within my own settings. I remember that I would often get extra items I often needed for school in my school bag. For instance, I would keep at least two pens, pencils, and other items in my bag, including needle and thread among others, on purpose. The idea was to keep myself prepared to be of help to schoolmates or other persons I had contact with on a day-to-day basis, including strangers. I went to such extents in my bid to emulate the shining example of the young boy in the story I read. Over time, lending a helping hand to the ‘needy’ in my sphere of contact came naturally to me – it became a habit, and I have enjoyed doing so for many years.

Written by Daniel Dela Dunoo