Tag: British history

Grace Victorious: The Story of William Wilberforce

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Have you ever wondered how you could accomplish something considering your weaknesses and limitations? If so, then you have something in common with the key figure of this story. 

Let’s go back to 1807 in England. That year, Parliament chose to take a stand against one of the greatest evils of the day. In fact, Parliament voted to make that evil illegal even though some people really wanted to keep it going and giving it up meant losing both power and wealth.

That evil was the trafficking of human beings known then as the slave trade.

Through the radio theater drama Grace Victorious: The Story of William Wilberforce, you can meet William Wilberforce. As a young member of Parliament, he has what many people long for – wealth, popularity and position. He chooses to risk it all when careful study brings him from skepticism to personal faith in Jesus Christ. 

Soon he is confronted with the realities of the slave trade – a trade that greatly benefits his country economically and is considered unchangeable. Others are speaking up, but Wilberforce’s gifts and position make him the obvious choice to lead the cause in Parliament. 

After prayer and seeing God work, Wilberforce becomes convinced that taking on the slave trade is something he must do in spite of the cost…

While William has position and a penchant for public speaking, one thing he does not have is good health. Throughout his life, he is plagued by poor eyesight and what may have been ulcerative colitis. (Note: Information on his exact ailments seems to vary.) But he presses on.

Grace Victorious leaves you with the story unfinished, a reality to which we can all relate. After all, that is how our stories are (for anyone reading this blog) – unfinished. We may be facing challenges, questions, unknowns….Just like William Wilberforce when he began his campaign against the slave trade. 

One of William’s last statements in Grace Victorious is,

“I expect a long and arduous fight. But as I lie here, I wonder how I will fight – how this frail and feeble body will ever rise against a mountain of hatred, cruelty and greed.” [1]

The response?

“The only way such things are ever done, William – by the grace of God.”

If we choose to live like William Wilberforce, we may live to see challenges met, questions answered, unknowns discovered. And we may be used in ways we never expected.

After all, it’s unlikely Wilberforce thought someone would be writing about a radio theater drama featuring his story 210 years after the abolition of the British slave trade, much less that the writing would go on a blog accessible to the world at the push of a button. 

[1] Paul McCusker, Grace Victorious: The Story of William Wilberforce, audio CD disc 2, track 8, 6:28.

Who’s the Hero? – Reflections on “Frozen Fire”

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A compassionate girl. A spoiled brat. A faithful guardian. A devastating disease. A determined doctor. 

The makings of a compelling story. And of a hero.

Reflecting on Frozen Fire, a story based on real-life events, I realize that I have a hard time picking out the hero for myself. Is it Betty the dairy maid? Tom the guardian? Edward Jenner the doctor? 

As I said, this story is based on historical people and places. Maybe that’s why picking the hero is hard. Isn’t that how real life is?

People aren’t solitary islands, unaffected by the world beyond. We rub off on each other, change each other’s courses, give each other a hand or push each other back. What each of us does affects the lives of others. No hero becomes a hero alone.

That’s why behind every hero and even in our lives there may be several “ordinary” heroes who have changed life in extraordinary ways. How about the mother who took the time to listen? The teacher who wrote the encouraging note? The dad who taught the inspiring lesson? The doctor who went the extra mile? The friend who prayed and gave hope? The brother who sacrificed? The grandmother who gave a second chance? 

If you listen to or read Frozen Fire, you’ll have to let me know who you think the hero is. Then maybe you can think of who the heroes are in your own life. Why not take time to thank them today if you can?

As some of the closing words of the radio theatre adaption go,

“True heroes of life are not often kings and queens or those of powerful means. The true heroes of the Lord God Most High are those who serve others without regard to themselves.” 

 Note: Frozen Fire is woven with the story of Dr. Edward Jenner, the British physician who became the Father of Immunology. It’s a great resource for history studies of the late 1700s, for those interested in medicine or simply as a story to be enjoyed. May 14 was a pivotal day in both Frozen Fire and the real life of Dr. Jenner.