You have the ability, potential and history to create and innovate
Mankind must invest some time to know the value, worth and purpose for which they have been born. Invest in what you have been put on the earth to accomplish.
Our creator says that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. We have been created, each, with an extraordinary destiny to fulfill. The amazing thing about one’s destiny is that it is unique to the person predestined to accomplish it.
Do you know that God created us to be like Him by giving us the ability to create things as we desire? We are capable of doing wonders on this earth, having a universal impact on the lives of other human beings.
Whatever gifting you have is for you to use in this lifetime for the benefit of others. I have come to realize that too many of us Black people are being burdened with an inferiority complex. We must rise again to contribute and invest.
In the 1800s and the 1900s, there were many Black inventors who contributed to their societies and those innovations remain useful to us, even today. The names of these men and women are in the history books because their contributions have had a lasting impact.
Please allow me to respectfully name a few.
George W. Carver, a scientist, discovered over 300 hundred uses for peanuts and became particularly popular for his propagation of its diverse uses, including the creation and production of peanut butter.
In 1917, Carver revealed what motivated him throughout his lifetime by stating “Well, someday I will have to leave this world. And when that day comes, I want to feel that my life has been of some service to my fellow man.”
In 1897 John Lee Love, a carpenter, patented the portable pencil sharpener.
In 1880 Powell Johnson patented his invention, the eye-protector, which was designed for use by furnace-men, firemen, and others exposed to the glare of strong light, as well as persons with weak sight.
In 1945 Charles Richard Drew, a physician and surgeon, developed the first blood plasma bag and blood bank.
Also, Alexander Miles, another inventor became known for being awarded a patent for an automatically opening and closing elevator door design in 1887. It was Miles’ innovation that made electric-powered elevator doors widely accepted around the world.
Lewis Howard Latimer helped develop many inventions, and in 1881 co-patented the electric lamp and was assigned 50% of the title rights alongside William Norton for the lamp-fixture.
In 1905, Latimer, was the first to patent the book holder, similar to what we know today as book-ends.
Likewise, through his exceptional observational skills, Garrett A. Morgan mastered his gift to create with an aim to fix things. He had businesses ranging from sewing machine repair to hair care.
Morgan, a multi-talented entrepreneur and inventor created the smoke hood, a portable breathing device providing a safer breathing experience in the presence of smoke, gases and other pollutants, in 1912. He is said to be the first Black man to own a car in Cleveland, Ohio.
Morgan had witnessed a serious accident at an intersection, and he filed a patent for a traffic control device having a third “warning” position in 1922. The patent was granted in 1923.
The lists of great Black inventors and innovators is too great for me to summarize, but do you see to what degree there has been an obvious decline in Black inventors in this day and age?
These men and women were actively contributing to the improvement of their society. What about us?
We Black people in this generation need to rise up and recognize that we are not second or third class citizens. We are equal to other nations around us. If these men did it in the hard, trying times in which they lived, we can do it and more in our times because it is much better.
We must believe that we are all created in the image of God and that He has deposited His creative imagination in the minds and hearts of all mankind regardless of race.
Are you willing to renew your mindset and embrace the truth that we all have the ability and potential to create?
Do you know that the stepping stone to your future is: understanding what is happening in your life today?
The greatest tragedy that can happen to a group of people is when they do not know where they are coming from.
Readers, it is time to believe that there is a God who created you in His image and likeness. Stop doubting foundational truths.
Your history will determine your identity.
God is looking for men and women to believe that the earth is the Lord`s and all whom dwell within it are His, as He has said in His word.
All things on the earth were created by mankind for both good and bad. The bombs that men use to kill each other and the medical ointments, etc. used to treat their wounds are both products of human ingenuity and skill. So I encourage you today to identify your gifts, skills and talents and use them for good.
Believe the word of the Lord and you will be established in every area of your life.
