In 1904 William Borden graduated from a Chicago high school, as heir to the Borden Dairy Farm. He was already a millionaire. For his high school graduation present, his parents gave him a trip around the world. As a young man traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, he felt a growing burden for the world’s hurting people. Finally, Borden wrote home about his desire to be a missionary. One friend expressed surprise that he was “throwing himself away as a missionary.” In response William wrote two words in the back of his Bible “NO RESERVES.”
During his college years at Yale, Borden made one entry in his personal journal that defined what his classmates saw in him. He wrote, “Say no to self and yes to Jesus, every time.” This was simply an application of Jesus’ command to take up your cross daily and follow Him.
During his first semester at Yale, Borden started a prayer group that transformed his life. One of his friends described how it happened:
It was well on in the first term when William and I began to pray together in the morning before breakfast. I cannot say positively whose suggestion it was, but I feel certain it must have originated with William. We had been meeting only a short time when a third student joined us and soon after a fourth. Time was spent in prayer after a brief reading of Scripture. William’s handling of Scripture was helpful. He would read to us form the Bible, show us something that God had promised, and then proceed to claim the promise with assurance.
Borden’s small prayer group gave birth to a movement that spread across campus. By the end of his first year, 150 freshmen were meeting for weekly Bible study and prayer. By his senior year, one thousand of Yale’s 1300 students were meeting in such groups. One of them said, “He certainly was one of the strongest characters I have ever known. And he put backbone into the rest of us at college.” He presided over the student missionary conference held at Yale and served as president of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
Upon graduation from Yale, Borden turned down high paying job offers. In his Bible he wrote two more words, “NO RETREATS.” He went on to study at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey. When he finished his studies, he sailed for China. Because he was hoping to work with the Hui Muslims of China, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. In April 1913, 100 years ago this year, Borden died after contracting spinal meningitis in Egypt. He was only 25 years old. When news of his death was sent back to the States, nearly every newspaper carried the story. A wave of sorrow went around the world. Borden not only gave away his wealth but himself in a way so joyous and natural that it seemed to be a privilege rather than a sacrifice.
Was William Borden’s untimely death a waste? Not in God’s plan. Prior to his death, Borden had written two more words in his Bible. Underneath the words, “NO RESERVES,” and “NO RETREATS,” he had written the words, “NO REGRETS.”
William did not regret the decision in the least to spend his life for the sake of the glory of God. He was burdened for the lost, even the forgotten Chinese Muslims in the central part of China. Even though he never made it back to China to share the Gospel with the Hui, he has inspired many to go and live their lives among the Hui and begin planting churches in China.
John Piper writes, “The wasted life is the life without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.” William Borden’s life was not a waste. He had a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of Muslims in China.
For more on William Borden, see Ray Ortlund’s blog post – William Borden, Wheaton’s archives – An Ideal Missionary Volunteer, Randy Alcorn’s post – A Triumphant Life: William Borden, and the biography – Borden of Yale.