“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
—Galatians 6:9
There are men who fight for a moment—and then there are those who fight for a lifetime.
William Wilberforce didn’t just take a stand. He planted his feet, clenched his jaw, and stood there for decades, while the world around him screamed to give up.
He was born into wealth. He could’ve coasted through life on comfort and applause. But he met Jesus—and Jesus wrecked his plans.
That’s where the fire started.
Because when Christ gets hold of a man, He doesn’t just pat him on the back and say, “Be nice.” He gives him a burden. A cause. A calling that keeps him up at night and stirs him to act when no one else will.
Wilberforce’s burden? Freedom.
Slavery was the backbone of the British economy, and everyone knew it—even the church turned a blind eye. But Wilberforce saw it for what it was: wickedness. Dehumanizing. Evil.
And he would not shut up about it.
The man spent over twenty years—twenty years!—dragging bill after bill into Parliament, only to be laughed at, rejected, or outvoted. Again and again.
They mocked him.
They ridiculed him.
Friends betrayed him.
His health broke down.
At one point, he was so sick and discouraged, he almost quit.
But he didn’t.
Because he was forged—not in applause or approval—but in fire. And when God forges a man in fire, He burns away the comfort, the cowardice, and the craving to be liked.
What’s left is steel.
Wilberforce’s steel didn’t come from arrogance—it came from conviction. A deep-rooted belief that God’s justice was worth the fight, no matter how long it took, no matter what it cost.
And in the end?
After decades of being a joke… the Parliament passed the bill. The slave trade was outlawed.
Three days later, William Wilberforce died.
He lived just long enough to see the chains start to break.
Forged Reflection
God doesn’t need men who fight for applause.
He’s looking for men who don’t let go.
Men who fight the long, thankless battles.
Men who wear themselves out doing good.
That’s how kingdoms shift.
That’s how history bends.
That’s how you become unshakable.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
—Galatians 6:9 (WEB)