Have you ever seen Amazing Grace? This movie is such a great one, about the life of William Wilberforce and how he abolished the slave trade, and later, slavery in England.
I watched it a couple nights ago for the first time in a long time. I'd been reading books set in the era of slavery and the Civil War in America and thought I'd watch this movie about slavery in England. It's very inspirational and like I say, true stories are really the best stories. :-) While I was watching it, I learned something that I can take and use in my own life and in the causes I'm fighting for and I hope you can take away this nugget of truth as well. The history of William Wilberforce's fight for the abolition of the slave trade started in 1789 when he and another of his associates, Thomas Clarkson, introduced 12 resolutions against the slave trade. These failed due to a number of reasons. Wilberforce didn't stop there. He introduced bills in 1791, 1792, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805, all of which were defeated. Just take a look at that and let it sink in. He introduced bills against slavery eight times. All those defeats didn't stop him from trying again, and again, and again. I got to thinking about it. How many of us feel the fight waning and even stop fighting after only one defeat? You'd have to be really passionate about that thing, that cause you're fighting for, to do what William Wilberforce did. So what is that thing or that Cause you are passionate about and willing to fight for? It doesn't just have to be a political stance. It can also be a hobby. A profession you are trying to reach for. A goal you're aiming at. Whatever it is, I want to encourage you to keep at it. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Keep reaching towards that goal. For me, that goal looks like getting one of my stories published and out in the world. I haven't dipped my feet in yet, for fear of rejection after rejection after rejection; but then I look at the examples we have from the past. I look at William Wilberforce. If he could pick himself up again and again after every defeat, why couldn't I? I shouldn't be scared of my work getting rejected. If it does, then I'll just pick myself back up and get down to business. If I believe my writing, my gift from God, to be of some value, then yes, I will fight for it to be published. I will fight for it to get into the hands of readers who need the messages they contain. It took William Wilberforce 18 years of hard work and introducing bills into parliament before he ever saw the glorious victory on February 23, 1807, when the bill passed 283 votes to 16. Praise the Lord for men like William Wilberforce and the example he left for us to follow. The question we can now ask ourselves is: how long will we fight? For further inspiration, I encourage you to watch this movie. The acting is brilliant, the story emotional, and the music is AMAZING. If you do anything, listen to the Amazing Grace cover they do with bagpipes and other instruments at the end of the film. . . or look it up on Youtube. ;) Till next time, Carolyn
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Something that has been on my heart for the past couple days has been Psalm 46. In particular, the verses where it talks about God being our refuge.
I thought I'd share a little bit about what it means when we say God is our refuge. The word "refuge" means a place of safety and protection. In other words, 'God is our place of safety and protection.' I thought that was so comforting. A lot of places in this world feel dangerous and not very stable but there is One place we can go to, and that is before Christ. He is our place of safety. Another verse that comes to mind when I think about "refuge" is one of my favorites, Psalm 62:8. "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." I've had this story idea brewing in my mind for the past couple years about a young woman who had a not so great childhood, due to an abusive father. At first I toyed with the themes of desiring a good father, finding contentment in her Heavenly Father, and so on. But after I read these verses and really took in what "refuge" meant, a new spiritual theme stood out to me. She could feel threatened when her father came home late at night. She could be so afraid that she would run and take refuge in her bedroom, with the door safely locked. She would literally try to find a place of safety anywhere to escape the abuse. And then she finds her place of safety in God. She could run to Him at anytime and find protection under His wings. I don't know about you, but I constantly need to remind myself of these promises. Why is it that we don't remember He is our refuge, our only place of safety? If we did remember this, we'd most likely run to Him first, instead of last (which is a bad habit all of us have.) After all, doesn't it say in the very same Psalm that God is "a very present help in trouble"? So I encourage you all today, when you're feeling unstable and maybe feeling threatened by all that is going on in this world that you would take the opportunity to run to God. Find your place of safety and protection in Him. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Ps. 46:1) "The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." (Ps.46:7) "The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." (Ps. 46:11) |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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