If you don't believe that statement, just ask Benjamin Carson, M. D. At age thirty-three he became director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, a post he still holds.
He probably grew up in privilege, with doting parents who spared him from struggle and discouragement. Right?
Wrong.
Dr. Carson grew up in a ghetto in Detroit.
His divorced mother, Sonya, dropped out of school in the third grade and cleaned houses for wealthy homeowners. She often left home early in the morning and returned after dark.
Benjamin Carson did have one big advantage. His mother never stopped believing in God--or in him. Over and over she told him, "Learn to do your best and God will do the rest."
The real story behind Benjamin Carson, M. D.
Sonya Carson spoke encouragement to her sons out of faith, not personal experience. At age thirteen she married a much older man and became a mother at eighteen, when she bore her first son, Curtis. When her second son, Benjamin, was eight, Sonya discovered her husband "forgot to mention" his other wife and family. She took the boys and moved in with her sister in Boston, then divorced her husband.
Two years later Sonya, Curtis and Bennie moved back to Detroit and into a ghetto high-rise, all they could afford. To support them Sonya cleaned houses for wealthy homeowners, sometimes three or four in tandem. She resolved she would do the best cleaning job her employers ever had. Somehow she managed to pay expenses and says with pride, "I took food stamps only one time, for a few months."
Not surprisingly, her sons did what their friends did. After school they played outside, then came in and watched TV. They struggled in school, especially Ben. His mother told him, "Bennie, you have to work harder. You have to use that good brain God gave you. Do you understand me?"
He did, but other kids taunted him that he was the dumbest kid in the world and he began to believe it. Before long Bennie brought home a report card full of Fs.
Sonya did not know what to do, so she prayed. "Lord," she said, "if You can take nothing and make a world out of it, You can take my situation and make it work--for the boys' sake."
Soon she had a plan and announced new, strict rules. Her sons could watch only two TV programs per week and had to choose them in advance. What's more, each week they were to read two books from their neighborhood library, then write a one-page book report and give it to her.
Over and over she told her boys, "Learn to do your best and God will do the rest."
Bennie started hanging out at the library. After awhile, one of the librarians took an interest and began pointing out books he might like. He soon developed an interest in rocks and science.
When her sons handed their mother their book reports, Sonya went over them and asked questions with a thoroughness that did not telegraph her own lack of education.
God had shown her how to handle a crisis. "After that," she said, "I would pray for guidance and afterward know what to do."
Before long Bennie began to surprise classmates and his teacher by answering questions with right answers. By the end of the school year he was one of the best students in class.
Like Mother, like sons
Learn to do your best and God will do the rest.
Sonya Carson lived by that principle as she cleaned homes. As a result, no client ever wanted anyone else to clean their homes. Her sons heard those words so often the principle became their indelible mindset, too. Both of them excelled in school.
Even though they lived in a high-rise ghetto, where going out into the halls after dark could mean risking your life.
Curtis, the older son, became an engineer.
Benjamin became a world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon who brings hope to patients, including parents of conjoined twins, who find little hope elsewhere.
Bennie, the "F" student, became one who debates famous proponents of evolution and atheism.
Benjamin Carson, M. D., author of four books, named by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "living legends."
Sonya lived out her words, too. Years later she earned her GED. She followed that with college classes and became a successful interior decorator.
This story sounds almost unbelievable, except that Sonya so clearly relied on God all along. It's as Jesus told His followers in Matthew 19:26:
. . . with God all things are possible.
Sonya's Power Source can be ours
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
All we need to do is ask--and then trust.
Lovingly,
Lenore
Your comments, please.
Sorry this ran so long. The day my husband and I heard Ben Carson speak, not one person coughed or shifted in their chairs. I've never forgotten his riveting story--or his mother's courage. If you want to know more about Ben, Google his name. Read his biography in Wikipedia, which tells of his surgery on conjoined twins. His book, Think Big, (Zondervan) tells a lot about his mother and his philosophy of life. The movie, "Gifted Hands," based on his first book by the same name, is available on DVD and features Cuba Gooding. For a fascinating article, go to www.icr/org and in the search box, type in his name.

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