Hello World!!!

Happy New Year! I had hoped to post on Dec. 31 or at least Jan. 1, but alas, deadlines and life got in the way…

At any rate, ready or not, a new year, a new decade even, is upon us…and what are we do? (Side note: Am I the only one that wonders why 2000-2010 is not considered a decade?…I mean dec, the prefix, means 10…I don’t know) I have decided to take my cue from a movie I watched on Christmas Day. HBO movie “Something the Lord Made” is the heartwarming story of Dr. Vivien Thomas, a black lab assistant who through an unlikely partnership with renown white surgeon Alfred Blalock, inaugurated modern cardiac surgery. As Thomas lived during the time of the Depression, his dream of attending college and medical school had to be shelved while he earned money to support his family. And although, Dr. Blalock would have been unable to perform the first “Blue Baby” surgery without Dr. Thomas’ assistance, Thomas’ contribution went nearly unnoticed as black people’s accomplishments were marginalized then. In fact, as Thomas performed procedures on lab dogs, Blalock commented that a surgical incision Thomas had done was “like something the Lord made.”

Years later, John Hopkins University School of Medicine honored by Thomas by awarding  him a honorary doctorate as he was never able to attend medical school although he trained some of the country’s top surgeons.

I guess what inspired me most about the movie was that it was obvious that God used Dr. Thomas to perform His handiwork and yet again prove that “God has choosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.”  ( I Corinthians 1:27) The movie led me to ponder what is my gift that will be “like something the Lord made?” I was encouraged to discover that a journalist, Katie McCabe, was the one that first brought Thomas’ poignant story to the attention of the world. While I have not written a story that has been as popular as McCabe’s story yet, I’m thankful to God for how He has used me thus far and look forward to future stories I will write….

Another detail of the movie that struck me was that Dr. Thomas’ inability to attend college and medical school may have been a blessing…although it did not seem so at the time I’m sure. Since Dr. Thomas was unable to pursue his educational dreams, he was forced to get a job – a job that fortuitously paired him with a top surgeon. And their partnership saved lives. It’s doubtful that, due to the constraints of segregation, that they would have paired together otherwise…Yes, God commands that “in everything, give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)  Yes, things that seem pretty crappy, according to God’s word, we are to thank God for them…easier said than done…but I’ve been thanking God lately for something in my life that I would rather not have to deal with, but since I’ve done that, I’ve been surprised about how peaceful I feel about it…God allowed this happen in my life, and I trust that He has purpose for it…

By the way, I did not get this insight on my own…My father recently preached a sermon in which he referred to Corrie ten Boom, a woman who as put in a concentration camp during the Holocaust…While there, she was infested with lice. Her sister, who was also there, reminded her of the verse I mentioned above. Of course, ten Boom bristled at first, then acquiesced…Later she discovered that due to her lice infestation, the guards at the camp left her alone…

So 2010 is here, and I did not receive what I hoped, wished and prayed for in 2009… What am I going to do? Accept it. Does that mean I’m giving up on my dreams? Not hardly. I’m just accepting God’s sovereignty and waiting for His direction…

2010 is something the Lord made, and I will rejoice and be glad!

Any thoughts?

P.S. Mos Def portrayed Thomas in the movie…He is sexy for real…although buddy got eight chillun with four women according to Wikipedia…that ain’t too sexy…