I found this an interesting quote. It is taken from the film "Amazing Grace" is a metaphor for William Wilberforce’s feelings on the slave trade, and how he can not get rid of the burden he feels for it.
The film tells the story of his life and battle over the slave trade, it taking him 17 years to pass the bill that would ban the trade through the English parliament. The film is fascinating in his burden over this, and he will never stop fighting. The reason for the name is that the John Newton, who was a close friend of Wilberforce, wrote the song out of his own shame of being a part of the slave trade (click the title link for more info) and had watched Wilberforce grow up.
A few things struck me about this film that I will now share with you.
1) Sometimes God puts on our heart something, and we think it’s going to be easy, however it isn't. It's hard, and it brings us to a point of desperation, and we think we've failed. We don't realise that sometimes it is just a matter of time because we are so caught up in our human concept of how the world spins.
2) Wilberforce suffered from an illness I know only too well, Colitis. For those of you who don't know it is the sister disease of Cohn’s disease and affects your bowel, causing severe cramps, dither, constipation, loss of weight, loss of appetite and extreme tiredness, along with a whole load of other things. Yet, through his suffering, he still greatly achieved and God impacted his life and those around him through his part. My point? Just because a person suffers, or is ill, does not mean they cannot have an impact. Maybe this was a lesson I needed reminding of.
3) "If you taste something vile, you keep spitting and spitting until the taste is left, and you do whatever is needed to get rid of that taste" so says the future Mrs Wilberforce to her future husband when he has given up. What vile taste sits in your mouth? What burden is upon your heart? What are you doing to get rid of that taste? Are you hoping its just going to go away, or are you spitting, are you drinking, are you washing your mouth out? All of this is, in a weird way, a model of holiness. To get rid of the taste, we need to wash our mouths out of the dirt inside. We need to be drinking things that are wholesome, "all who are thirsty come to the fountain" so says the Lord. We need to be living and active and doing something, not just putting up with it.
So that is the three points I like to make. 1) It's not always easy, but God is in it 2) God calls us all to great things and to great impact, no matter what you suffer 3) Get the taste out of your mouth, look at what burdens your heart, and be active in it, no matter how long it takes.
Blessings,
Rich
The film tells the story of his life and battle over the slave trade, it taking him 17 years to pass the bill that would ban the trade through the English parliament. The film is fascinating in his burden over this, and he will never stop fighting. The reason for the name is that the John Newton, who was a close friend of Wilberforce, wrote the song out of his own shame of being a part of the slave trade (click the title link for more info) and had watched Wilberforce grow up.
A few things struck me about this film that I will now share with you.
1) Sometimes God puts on our heart something, and we think it’s going to be easy, however it isn't. It's hard, and it brings us to a point of desperation, and we think we've failed. We don't realise that sometimes it is just a matter of time because we are so caught up in our human concept of how the world spins.
2) Wilberforce suffered from an illness I know only too well, Colitis. For those of you who don't know it is the sister disease of Cohn’s disease and affects your bowel, causing severe cramps, dither, constipation, loss of weight, loss of appetite and extreme tiredness, along with a whole load of other things. Yet, through his suffering, he still greatly achieved and God impacted his life and those around him through his part. My point? Just because a person suffers, or is ill, does not mean they cannot have an impact. Maybe this was a lesson I needed reminding of.
3) "If you taste something vile, you keep spitting and spitting until the taste is left, and you do whatever is needed to get rid of that taste" so says the future Mrs Wilberforce to her future husband when he has given up. What vile taste sits in your mouth? What burden is upon your heart? What are you doing to get rid of that taste? Are you hoping its just going to go away, or are you spitting, are you drinking, are you washing your mouth out? All of this is, in a weird way, a model of holiness. To get rid of the taste, we need to wash our mouths out of the dirt inside. We need to be drinking things that are wholesome, "all who are thirsty come to the fountain" so says the Lord. We need to be living and active and doing something, not just putting up with it.
So that is the three points I like to make. 1) It's not always easy, but God is in it 2) God calls us all to great things and to great impact, no matter what you suffer 3) Get the taste out of your mouth, look at what burdens your heart, and be active in it, no matter how long it takes.
Blessings,
Rich
