Samuel Wilberforce received the following advice from his “then famous” father, William Wilberforce. The father, concerned for his son, felt Samuel lacked the gravitas he needed in his run for Parliament.
My dearest boy, remember my counsel. If you come into Parliament . . . choose out for yourself some specific object, some line of usefulness. Make yourself thoroughly acquainted with your subject, and you will not only be listened to with attention, but you will, please God, do great good.
Samuel, from what I’ve read, didn’t take his father’s advice and failed to impact his generation. Willam Wilberforce’s strength as a movement builder rested in this focus upon a God-given pursuit of “lines of usefulness.” As he put it in his diary, God almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the reformation of manners.
I couldn’t help but think of Wilberforce’s advice as I read Kay Warren’s new book, Dangerous Surrender. Kay has found her “line of usefulness” and is changing the world. Take the time to read her book–it’s well written, honest, and powerful in its challenge to Christ-followers. I hope it sells more than Rick’s Purpose Driven Life. She writes:
What does God want us to do about evil? Is there really anything one person can do? I can tell you what he doesn’t want us to do—to ignore it, deny it, pretend it doesn’t exist, close our hearts and minds to it, or hope it goes away by itself. He doesn’t want us to appease it, placate it, compromise with it, coexist with it, justify it, excuse it, or call it another name. In God’s value system, these responses are as wicked as endorsing, cooperating with, or embracing evil.
“Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God” (Kay Warren)
Kay is a movement builder. This book is her story. What’s particularly interesting to me is this leadership trait that seems common to all movement builders–a life-changing vision for bringing in the Kingdom in some particular “line of usefulness.”
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