01 Jun Inspiration For Your Big Future

God’s plan and the inspiration he blesses us with can lead you to wondrous ends – some that you may not be able to imagine. I listened to a past sermon by Keith Craft of Elevate Life Church in Frisco, TX last week that really resonated with me. He shed a new light on a story we all learned in school and, in doing so, showed that God works in incredible ways. I’d like to take a moment to share the story of George Washington Carver and how, through the path of God, he changed the world of agriculture.

George Washington Carver was an African American that was born into slavery.  His master, Moses Carver, was a German American immigrant who had purchased George’s parents, Mary and Giles, from William P. McGinnis on October 9, 1855, for $700. When George was only a week old, he, a sister, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders from Arkansas. George’s brother, James, was rushed to safety from the kidnappers. The kidnappers sold the slaves in Kentucky. Moses Carver hired John Bentley to find them, but he located only the infant George. Moses negotiated with the raiders to gain the boy’s return, and rewarded Bentley. After slavery was abolished, Moses Carver and his wife Susan raised George and his older brother James as their own children. They encouraged George to continue his intellectual pursuits, and “Aunt Susan” taught him the basics of reading and writing. (Wilkepedia)

George grew up with a white family. By the age of twelve he left home to pursue his desire for more knowledge.  He applied to a number of colleges and was rejected because of his race.  He eventually made his way to Iowa State University to study botany and was accepted as the first African American student in 1891.  It was at Iowa State where he found national recognition as a botanist.  This led him to later become a professor at Tuskegee Institute. There, he had a laboratory that he called, “God’s Little Workshop.”

As George eagerly pursued his desires for plants, soil, etc., one thing led to another.  He rose to fame by transforming the agriculture industry through his research.  He became an inventor and developed hundreds of products using the peanut, sweet potatoes and soybeans.  He also became a champion of agriculture education and crop rotation.  His research, ideas, and inventions spawned into a big future that changed the landscapes in America.

Not only can we respect and appreciate George Washington Carver for his contribution to Agriculture, but appreciate his perseverance in his life that launched him into a great future.  George could have allowed his childhood experiences to hold him back in life.  Instead, he launched past his past in the 1800’s in a very racial intense America.  George took the desires of his heart, pushed forward with God by his side, and became a legendary pioneer for the agriculture industry.  He was a history maker and to this day, highly remembered for his accomplishments and the man of perseverance that he was.

George Washington Carver is a great example that we can find inspiration from for our own lives.  If we all launch past our past and build on our God given inspirations, we can build empires.

“When you learn from what inspires you, you will build empires both inside and outside of you.  Whatever is manifest outside of your life, you have to build on the inside of you first.” -Keith Craft

Inspiring Quotes by George Washington Carver (azquotes.com):

When I was young, I said to God, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the universe.’ But God answered, ‘That knowledge is for me alone.’ So I said, ‘God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.’ Then God said, ‘Well George, that’s more nearly your size.’ And he told me.

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.

When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

God is going to reveal to us things He never revealed before if we put our hands in His. No books ever go into my laboratory. The thing I am to do and the way of doing it are revealed to me. I never have to grope for methods. The method is revealed to me the moment I am inspired to create something new. Without God to draw aside the curtain I would be helpless.

Listen to Keith Craft’s message on How to Launch a Great Future for an inspiring sermon you can apply to your own life.

https://vimeo.com/255290492