Dedication

While on my vacation I decided to read an autobiography that my wife had recommended to me. It is entitled Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story. It is story of one of the most gifted neurosurgeons alive today. It has some really touching moments and some stories of truly remarkable operations, but by far the most interesting part to me was the dedication of Ben Carson.

Steve Martin used to have a comedy routine that started, "I was born a poor black child..." Well, Ben Carson really was, and yet through the prodding of his mother, a strong faith in God, and boundless determination to achieve he graduated from Yale and ended up as a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins. Now, it is pointed out in the book, and hinted at in the title, that Dr. Carson possesses a remarkable gift of eye hand coordination, but what would that have been without his determination to use it as a surgeon? Who knows, maybe he would have focused on athletics and even have made it to the professional ranks, but what is that compared to the ability to perform even one life saving surgery?

As I see it Dr. Carson is an example of someone who had a natural talent and used it for the the greatest good. I have to believe that part of the reason for that is what I alluded to in an earlier paragraph. Ben Carson is a man of faith. I believe that he allowed God to channel his life into becoming a neurosurgeon. It was not an easy path, even for a man like Dr. Carson but it is clear from his book that the destination was worth the trip.

Personally, I believe that God has gifted all of us is one way or another. We know what Ben Carson did with his gift, what are you doing with yours?