A truly inspiring man

Last weekend my family traveled to the area around Springfield, Missouri, just to get away from OKC and to do a few fun (and educational, but don't tell the kids) things before the school year gets started. In our whirlwind tour, we visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder house in Mansfield, the Worlds of Wonder Wildlife Museum, Wilson's Creek Battlefield (Civil War battle , August 10, 1861), and finally the George Washington Carver National Monument. I really don't know which I enjoyed more, the battlefield or the GWC Monument.

I had no idea the scope of what GWC did during his life. And, from the displays I saw at his memorial, I would be very hard pressed to find a better example of someone who lived out the Christian faith. I came away from my time learning about Carver wanting to know more. I plan on sharing many of his quotes on this blog, then commenting on how I have been impacted by the quote and the man behind the words.

The quote above makes me really think about the undeserved ways in which I (and still sometimes do) hold bias toward people. There are circumstances in life over which we have no control. And often I am prejudiced against people because of these circumstances.

How many times I have gotten upset at the old man driving slow? That man may not really want to be driving amongst all of the people rushing to make their next dollar, but his ill wife needs him to get a medication for her.

Do we tend to view the successful and strong as just being lucky, without knowing how they toiled to acquire what they have today?

Do we see the weak, whether they be physically ill or debilitated or emotionally distressed, as people in need of love and care, rather than hindrances to the things we want to accomplish?

Are we aiding people who have the courage to dream big and strive for things that are currently out of their reach, or do we deflate their inspirations with what we call "reality?"

I for one am glad that Dr. Carver recognized the need for us to be tender, compassionate, sympathetic and tolerant. Now, if I can only institute the virtue contained within this quote and be what someone else, whether young or old, strong or weak, needs me to be.