Learning from the Heroes of the Past
The following is an essay I wrote for my advisory portfolio this December. The essay topic asked to define and describe my hero and make parallels with my own life. (sorry it’s so long. The requirement was 6-10 pages!)
One of my greatest heroes is William Wilberforce, the man who fought to abolish the slave trade in England over 200 years ago. I had never known much about Wilberforce until I wrote an article about him for the school blog last year. Through my research, I came to truly understand and admire the man who served so many years in the British Parliament and affected such great change for the equal rights of mankind. Wilberforce was an incredible man, and I can only hope to follow his example and someday work so mightily for God.
William Wilberforce was born on August 24, 1759 to a wealthy English family. When his father died, 9-year-old Wilberforce moved in with his aunt and uncle, where he was exposed to their evangelical faith, which was his only childhood religious background. His mother soon removed him from his aunt and uncle’s care, and Wilberforce began to get a gentlemen’s education, living a life of vanity and opulence.
During his college years, Wilberforce dreamed of becoming a politician and he befriended William Pitt, who had similar aspirations (William Pitt later became the British Prime Minister). The friends graduated from St. John’s College in Cambridge together and often spent time watching Parliament in action. A year later, Wilberforce campaigned to become a Member of Parliament. Despite incredible odds, 21-year-old Wilberforce was elected, thus beginning his life-long political career (Christian History).
In 1784, Wilberforce began to spend time with his old tutor, Isaac Milner, an intelligent man of evangelical faith. The two men discussed and debated religion, and through the influence of Milner and his theological reading, Wilberforce realized the emptiness of his life and decided to make a change and live for Christ. Initially, Wilberforce felt he needed to step away from his political life, but he was persuaded otherwise by William Pitt and John Newton. Both men encouraged him to use his political influence to make a difference for his church and country. With the inspiration and influence of his friends, Wilberforce began to seek his purpose as a servant of God in the political spotlight.
In 1786, some of Wilberforce’s abolitionist friends asked him to lead their cause in Parliament. At that time, the slave trade was well established and widespread in Great Britain and in the opinions of many, it was justified. Nevertheless, Wilberforce agreed to lead this campaign and slowly came to understand his purpose. Wilberforce said, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners” (Christian History, 16). This became his life mission: the abolition of slave trade and the reversal of the moral decline.
Wilberforce immediately began to work to accomplish these goals. In Parliament, he supported laws which promoted morality. He also lived his life as an example of godliness and integrity. He gave to the poor, established orphanages, and fought for the welfare of many. Wilberforce was morally upright and tried to actively do the work of God in his own sphere of influence, which happened to be Parliament. He did not need to leave the political arena in order to serve God; instead, that was the platform that allowed Wilberforce to really do God’s work. From the time of his conversion in his early twenties, William Wilberforce never took his eyes off the Lord. His life, work, and purpose were all centered on his faith in God. Being so directly in the political spotlight, Wilberforce was the ultimate example of being in the world, but not of it (World Magazine).
Campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade, Wilberforce was faced with great opposition and his call for change was defeated time and time again. Nevertheless, he remained committed and persistent. Year after year, Wilberforce brought his cause before Parliament, and year after year was defeated. Despite recurrent failure, he continued to fight for justice and liberty. Not only did Wilberforce have to fight great political battles, but he also struggled daily with his own health, suffering with ulcerative colitis. At that time however, the only medication that could be used to help colitis patience was laudanum, an opiate used to ease the pain. Although Wilberforce was constantly fighting the chronic illness, at times being very severe, he always found the strength to persevere. His persistence through failure and illness was remarkable. With every reason to despair and shrink away from the task, Wilberforce pressed on until he finally fulfilled his mission.
Finally, on February 23, 1807, nearly nine years after Wilberforce first introduced the motion, Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade. In the years that followed, laws against slavery and the slave trade continued to pass and be enforced, and Wilberforce, although no longer a Member of Parliament, continued to fight for the cause of freedom. Three days before his death, the Act of Emancipation was passed, ensuring the end of slavery and the beginning of freedom for the British slaves. Wilberforce, a man of faith and justice, lived to see his purpose fulfilled He had begun a revolution for liberty and morality (Christian History).
William Wilberforce was an ordinary man that accomplished the extraordinary and for this reason, I consider him a hero. It is humbling to so seriously consider such a great man in politics and Christianity and I cannot even begin to compare myself with him. Still, his life is inspiration to me as a model of Godly, purposeful living.
It is so hard to live in the world, but to not be caught up in it. Wilberforce understood that there was a fine line here, and he held fast to that principle. It is a daily struggle for me to live according to this idea. The pressures of some of my friends, peers, and society encourage worldly living. I constantly fight to not fall into this trap, but it’s never easy. It is amazing to me how strong Wilberforce seemed despite all the pressures that he faced. He realized that he did not have to leave the public life and join the church in order to serve God, but that he could do God’s work right where he was at. I believe that God is similarly not calling me to a life of church or missions, but to a ministry in my everyday life and in the workplace. Just as God calls all Christians to do, I desire to be directly in the world, but not be entangled in its sinful grasp, and to live as an example of Christ’s great mercy wherever I am in life.
I also greatly admire Wilberforce’s great devotion to God. This is an area where I so often fall short. In every word and deed, Wilberforce dedicated his life to God. Far too often, I try to take my life into my own hands, forgetting to trust God with my purpose and my future. Wilberforce understood fully that apart from God, he was nothing. I think that at times my pride gets in the way and I don’t see how insignificant I really am. It is so easy to get caught up in the events of everyday life and lose focus. Wilberforce, no doubt, had this same struggle, but he overcame it and I think that is precisely what I admire most about him. He was human and struggled in the same way that I do, but he is remembered for having overcome such obstacles and living a life fully devoted to fulfilling God’s purposes.
Similarly, William Wilberforce was a man of moral uprightness. He was, of course, a great sinner and in as much need of a Savior as any other man, but it is so evident that he tried in his everyday life to live according to God’s Word. This is something that every Christian should strive to do, but so many times we fail and mar the name of our Savior. Wilberforce’s life was a radiant witness of Christ, rather than a blemish to His name. This is definitely part of the reason that I consider him a hero. I can only hope that someday my life will be remembered as such a testimony to my faith in God. I do not necessarily desire the sort of global impact that Wilberforce had, but rather that the people that I do come in contact with will remember me in a similar light that the world respects the memory of William Wilberforce.
One of the attributes of Wilberforce that I admire most is his persistence. Even when it seemed there was no hope for the cause of abolition, he never ceased to fight. Few men in history have faced as much continual and recurrent disappointment as Wilberforce and still continued on with hope. Despite great obstacles, he pressed on. I definitely consider myself a fairly persistent person, but I doubt that I could continue on after so many years of no success. The situations in which I have most had to be persistent were short, with a definite end in sight, such as hiking a large mountain or working on portfolios. Although it takes great endurance and persistence to successfully accomplish these objects, it is not the same long range struggle that Wilberforce faced. I hope that if I ever am confronted with a situation requiring such lasting perseverance, that I will not shrink away from the task and lose hope, but will rather push on as Wilberforce did. His determination is certainly illustrative of Philippians 3:14, which reads, “I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
What makes William Wilberforce’s persistence even more astounding is the great battle he fought daily with his health. Living with colitis, Wilberforce suffered greatly with a physical struggle so beyond his control. Having Crohn’s disease myself, a fairly similar chronic illness, Wilberforce’s health struggles only serve to increase my admiration of him all the more. Without medication beyond opiates to relieve the pain, Wilberforce lived with a pretty severe condition in his intestine. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without my medication, and it is amazing to me that Wilberforce lived a normal life at all, let alone held public office and had such great devotion to the cause of abolition. Understanding the pain he suffered through his illness, his persistence becomes even more remarkable to me.
William Wilberforce is my hero because he overcame every obstacle and accomplished great change in the world. He lived in the world, but not of it, and learned that he could do God’s work wherever he was. He was thoroughly devoted to God and dedicated to living a life acceptable to Him. Still, perhaps above all else, I admire that Wilberforce had such great persistence, despite such great obstacles as continual failure and serious health struggles. I cannot even begin to compare myself with this great man, but rather continually look to him as an example and inspiration. I hope to find such a passion in my life as Wilberforce had for the abolition of the slave trade. Although I currently don’t know what that may be, maybe I, too, will someday be called to such a mission. No matter what I do or what I am faced with, I hope that I will always remember the example of William Wilberforce and endure in all things, for Christ’s sake.
Works Cited:
Christian History Magazine. The “Shrimp” who Stopped Slavery. Hancock, Christopher. Issue 53.
World Magazine. Humble Courage. Marvin Olasky. February 10, 2007.