Responding to what God impresses on our minds can reverberate across seas and seasons. In our previous meditation, we learned how William Wilberforce came to the conclusion that God would have him devote his life to the suppression of slave trade and the reformation of manners. Let us see how that had an impact across seas and seasons. Samuel Ajayi Crowther was born around 1807 in western Nigeria. When he was about 13, he was taken as a slave by Oyo and Fulani Muslims. Ajayi was traded six times before he was sold to a Portuguese slave-ship captain. When Ajayi was being shipped off to Europe in April 1822, a British patrol seized the ship carrying him and other slaves. They were taken to Sierra Leone and liberated. Ajayi later become a minister of the gospel and translated the Bible into Yoruba language.

Today, we are beneficiaries of the labour of heroes past – heroes of faith and in other fields. We also should labour with coming generations in mind.

William Wilberforce was an English man who lived in England while Samuel Ajayi Crowther was of Nigerian descent. When the former started his campaign against the abolition of slave trade, the latter had not even been born. However, he laid a foundation of what would spell liberty for him and countless multitudes across the world. When called to labour for the Lord, we may not be in a position to fully determine the outcome. The labour is ours; the reach and the impact are the Lord’s. If we do our bit faithfully, God knows where and how to apply our labour for maximum benefit to mankind. Today, we are beneficiaries of the labour of heroes past – heroes of faith and in other fields. We also should labour with coming generations in mind.