Everyone has “something the Lord has made”

bussee — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:56:19 +0000

I was watching the movie “Something the Lord made” and I got moved with emotions. I’ll say why. The movie was based on a true life story of one Vivien Thomas who became the first African American without a doctorate degree to perform open heart surgery on a white patient in the United States and who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s. He was a surgical technician.

The story, quite an interesting script highlighted the beginning of his sojorn into the medical technology in a laboratory run by a legendary Dr Alfred Blalock in the vanderbilt University. The stock market had just crashed in the 1930s during the Great depression which resulted from the economic imbalance caused by the first world war. In fact, Vivien had to put his

education on hold (he was planning to go to medical college) because all the money he saved in the bank for seven long years went up in smoke as the bank he had his savings in failed and packed up. He couldn’t recover even a cent.

He decided to look for a job which was not in surplus in those days especially for a black man and ended up getting an appointment to work as a janitor in Dr Alfred’s medical laboratory in the Vanderbilt University. Ofcourse, Dr Alfred was white. Not long after he started working, Dr Blalock found that Vivien possessed an extraordinary eye-hand coordination and a sharp

intellect as well. His passion for medicine was quite evident as he quickly moved from janitor to laboratory assistant. When Dr. Blalock got appointed as Chief of Surgery and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, the number 1 medical university in America at that time and arguably till now, he requested for Vivien to accompany him and become his assistant in Johns

Hopkins. The race segregation was so bad in those days that Vivien wasn’t allowed to go into the hospital through the front door. He had to use the back door. Needless to say, he was the only black person in the hospital staff who was anything more than a janitor or a cook and his paycheck wasn’t better than the afore mentioned categories. While some of his black colleagues respected and almost revered him, others despised him and were quite jealous.

Vivien refused to go to medical college at the time because he enjoyed working with Dr Blalock and achieving record breaking feats in the field of medicine helping to save many lives. Unfortunately, because he was black and not a doctor, many of the feats that were achieved largely because of his input were never merited to him. In fact, he was never mentioned in the news

as having had anything to do with it. At some point, after getting the manouver to heal the blue-baby syndrome, he felt quite left out when he wasn’t invited to the party done in honour of those involved in making it happen. He sneaked into the party and when he didn’t hear his name mentioned while Dr Blalock was thanking the team that worked with him to achieve the feat,quit his job and went to do other things. He later came back because of his love for the work and ended up becoming the

Direcor of Laboratories in Johns Hopkins(the first without a degree).

The most touching part for me was when after the death of Dr Blalock and 34 years after Vivien had started working with him, he was given an honorary doctorate degree and his portrait was placed on the hospitals walls of fame next to Dr. Blalocks. I almost couldn’t control my emotions on watching this scene and noting the look on the new Dr. Vivien’s face that seemed to say “At last, it has been proven that it was worth it” and I thought to write a few lessons I got.

1. Find your “something the Lord has made”

In one of the surgical manouvers, Vivien executed such a flawless procedure that the suture line was almost invisible prompting Dr. Blalock to remark that the medical intervention looked like “something the Lord has made”. We all have our talents and gifts. we all have our areas of core competence. Find your talent and gifts and let them make way for you. Many comedians in Nigeria now earn more than oil workers because they found their talents and using them.

2. No setback in life is an end, it’s just a bend

The great depression and racism combined with Vivien’s loss of his college tuition in the bank was enough to kill any aspiring black doctor’s dream but it didn’t kill his. What setback have you had that is making you feel like a loser? Have you lost all your money or your job or your benefactors or have you failed some qualifying exams? It’s never over until it’s over. Don’t let situations and occurences around you kill your dreams. You can still be YOU according to your destiny.

3. Out of sight can be out of mind and out of greatness

Never lose sight of your goal. Vivien could not get a decent job and couldn’t go to college. He decided to get a job even though as a janitor but with a doctor because he wanted to be close to his dreams. He wanted to be surrounded with the tools and pictures of his dream. What are you surrounding yourself with? Why wouldn’t you rather volunteer in an organisation that looks like your dream than work for money in one that looks against your dream. How are you positioning yourself? He couldn’t

have moved from janitor to lab assistant if he was a janitor in a supermarket. Who are your mentors? Who are your colleagues? Do whatever is necessary to keep the vision in view.

4. If you are not having fun, then you are doing the wrong thing

Many people will do anything once they feel the price is right. They have no niche or key area or skill or even dream they have discovered. They exist in the same sphere as 93% of people who don’t achieve anything in the world. What would you do even if you weren’t paid for it that adds value to other people? For Vivien, he was so consumed in the work and the opportunity to change the world by solving one medical mystery after the other that he couldn’t leave it and go to medical school despite the fact that the pay was poor and the environment hostile. If you’ve not found anything like that, start a self-soul-search today otherwise the whole of life will be a struggle for you.

I’ll continue the lessons in the next post.

The Reason for the Season

bussee — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:04:31 +0000

Yesterday, I had the privilege once again of watching the movie titled “The Passion of the Christ”. I watched it with a group of people and we all felt the pain Jesus Christ went through on His way to the cross to die for the sin of mankind. So vivid was the picture of his punishment and pain that within minutes, some of the people I was watching with began to sob and cry out loud.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The first man and the first woman were not born but created. Adam and Eve were their names and they lived in the garden of Eden. They had a perfect state and had dominion over every thing that existed on earth.

Unfortunately, they fell from that glorious state by disobeying God’s command and eating fruit of the tree that He had commanded them not to eat from through the deceit of the devil. They were chased out of the garden of Eden and condemned to a life of hardship, pain and death.

God’s mercy wouldn’t let mankind go that easily. His heart of love was drawn to the certain death mankind would face and He quickly made a by-plan for man to escape that death and be returned to his state of glory. God therefore, sent His only begotten Son (the thing He loved the most) to the earth to bear the punishment of mankind on our behalf so that man could choose to avoid the imminent judgement and be returned to a life of glory.

Jesus Christ therefore came to the world a sinless being because He was born of a virgin. He lived in the world a little over 30 years, preached and taught God’s new plan for mankind’s restoration and went about doing good; healing all manner of diseases, touching peoples lives, solving their problems and even waking the dead. He was a friend to sinners and winebibers and money stealers (Nigerians) and tax collectors. He loved all and brought the message of salvation to all.

Jesus paid the ultimate price afterwards for mankind for it was necessary that blood be shed for remission (covering) of sins to be made possible. The blood covenant which is the strongest covenant in the universe must be activated for mankind to be delivered from the bondage of sin. Jesus Christ though sinless, took the place of mankind and died a shameful death on the cross after being tortured beyond what might ever have happened at Guantanamo Bay or any anti-terrorist agency.

He was crucified. He hung up on the cross for our sins and died of a broken heart and body. The Son of God bore the sins of mankind and nailed them to the cross. On the third day, He rose from the death. Neither death, nor the grave could hold him. He got the keys of death from the devil and made a way of eternal escape from death and judgement for mankind.

Easter is a celebration of His resurrection. It is in His resurrection that victory is made available for all those who believe in Him and receive Him into their lives. It is in His resurrection that the bondage of sin and it’s consequences are annulled in the life of man. It is because He lives that life is worth living. All those who live without Jesus in their lives are living dead.

Anyone who must be delivered from a life of sin must ask God for forgiveness, believe in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ and accept Him into his or her life as Lord and Saviour. Then, one can have access to a life of restored glory and victory and eternal life.

Jesus is the reason for Easter. Any one who doesn’t have Him is simply wasting his time celebrating the season.

Busayo Akanro - Light does not shine in light » Jesus Christ

Everyone has “something the Lord has made”

The Reason for the Season