By Dianne Neal Matthews:

Inspired by George Washington Carver and Andy Andrews, we ponder God-given creativity and the impact of one life on many. Who will you impact today?

God knew the amazing potential of the humble peanut. He also knows what impact YOUR humble life will have on the lives of others.

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri in about 1865. As an infant, he was kidnapped with his family by raiders, but rescued back by former owners Moses and Susan Carver, who decided to raise him as their own and give him a start in his education. (Hear this amazing story as told by Andy Andrews, in the video below.)

Through perseverance and hard work, coupled with an intense hunger for learning, he became a renowned scientist. He was internationally recognized for his agricultural research and honored with numerous awards in his lifetime. Carver spent much of his career at what is now Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he focused on helping farmers improve crop production and taught more efficient agricultural practices through conferences, demonstrations, lectures, and traveling exhibits.

Carver is especially noted for creating more than three hundred products from peanuts, such as a milk substitute, printer’s ink, and soap. He also developed over seventy-five products from pecans and more than a hundred products from sweet potatoes, including flour, shoe polish, and candy. Carver’s work convinced many southern farmers to grow these crops instead of cotton, providing them with new sources of income.

It’s amazing to think that someone could create three hundred useful products from a peanut! It’s also impossible for our finite minds to grasp the fact that God created ­every­thing we see from nothing. The book of Genesis tells us how he started from scratch and created the infinite variety in our world and beyond simply with spoken commands. Revelation gives us a glimpse of heavenly creatures praising God:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” Revelation 4:11

George Washington Carver knew this. As noted in Wikipedia, sourced from Man of science–and of God via TheFreeLibrary.com:

” George Washington Carver believed he could have faith both in God and science and integrated them into his life. He testified on many occasions that his faith in Jesus was the only mechanism by which he could effectively pursue and perform the art of science. “

Since we are created in God’s image, we have an inherent creative drive. We find fulfillment in expressing our creativity, whether it’s in our job, our hobbies, the arts, or creative solutions to problems. Any creative act we perform is an act of worship for the One who placed that spark in us. We can be sure that such a Creator can, and will, create something amazing out of our life if we follow His leading.

Also know that you never know who your life will touch. See this video from Andy Andrews, where he talks about how the life of George Washington Carver was one link in an amazing chain of events that impacted one man, then another, and another–eventually saving the lives of two billion people.

Enjoy also the story of George’s adult life in the video George Washington Carver – Mini Bio from the Biography Channel.

© Dianne Neal Matthews (www.DianneNealMatthews.com). Dianne is a freelance writer and the author of four daily devotional books. This article is adapted from her book, The One Year on This Day (Tyndale House).