The Hebrew word used in the Book of Judges for 'judge' is 'shaphat'. It doesn't particularly mean someone who sits in a courtroom and decides legal issues. Rather it contains more the idea of a heroic leader. For a brief time in Israel's history, Deborah was known as the heroic leader of the day. She was the chosen one, the person set apart by God to lead a nation. Yet in this instance, one person alone was not enough to win the battle against the Canaanite army. To see victory would take the collaborative efforts of 10,003 people. Deborah, Barak, Jael and 10,00 Israelite soldiers.
Everybody had a specific role to play. Everybody doing their little bit to achieve a big result.
Shortly after the American Civil War, Professor Joseph Budd and his family moved to Ames, Iowa so he could take up a position as Professor of Horticulture at Iowa State University. He had a daughter named Etta May Budd. She loved art and following in her fathers footsteps, began to teach art at Simpson College in Indianola. It was here that she met a young black man by the name of George Washington Carver, the son of former slaves. He had enrolled in one of her classes and loved to paint, escpecially still life paintings of plants and flowers. He also love gardening. Etta helped him to find gardening jobs with families around Indianola.
As his friend and art teacher, Etta took Carver aside and urged him to study something besides art. Etta told him it would be difficult for him to support himself or his family with his paintings and encouraged him to study plants rather than painting them. She suggested Iowa State University as her father was a Professor there and offered to go with him. Carver agreed and enrolled.
Carver excelled in his studies, especially biology and upon graduation was offered a teaching position. He was the first black teacher that Iowa State had ever hired. During his time at the university, Carver would take long walks in the surrounding fields to study plants for research. On some of these walks he would be accompanied by a new little friend by the name of Henry A Wallace - the six year old son of the dairy science professor. Carver would share with him his love of plants and the boy responded enthusiastically. By age 11, Wallace began doing experiments with different varieties of corn.
As an adult, Wallace's fascination with corn continued. He developed some of the first hybrid corn varieties. In 1933, Wallace became Secretary of Agriculture under President Franklin Roosevelt and in 1940 went on to become Vice President of The United States.
After the 1940 election, Wallace and his family took a holiday to Mexico where he found corn to be an integral part of most Mexican families diet. He noticed that the yield in Mexico was a lot lower than that of the hybrid variety in the USA. Wallace came up with the idea to create agriculture experimental stations to develop improved corn varieties suitable for the climate and soil of Mexico. After sourcing funding, the first station was built in Mexico.
One of the first scientists Wallace employed to join the Mexican station was a man by the name of Norman Borlaug. As a result of his work, 20 years after the station was built, corn production in Mexico has doubled and wheat production had increased five-fold. Borlaug went on to work in Pakistan and India. His work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal, The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Padma Vibhushan (India's highest civillian honour to non-citizens) for his developments in high yielding wheat, rice and corn. Through his work, Norman Borlaug is attributed for saving the lives of over 2 billion people!
I am sure that Etta Budd had no idea that her simple encouragement to a friend would result in changing the lives of over 2 billion people. Etta helped Carver, Carver helped Wallace, Wallace helped Borlaug and Borlaug helped the world!
We are so quick to recognise the achievements of individuals throughout history, that sometimes we fail to remember that those successes may have not been possible if it were not for the encouragement of a close friend or mentor. A school teacher. A parent. A youth pastor. Ordinary everyday people who took the time to perform an ordinary act of kindness for someone else which resulted in an extraordinary outcome for many.
Teilhard de Chardin, a French philosopher and Jesuit priest once said, "Do not forget that the value and interest of life is not so much to do conspicuous things as to do ordinary things with the perception of their enormous value."
The Apostle Paul said it this way, "Let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith." (Gal 6.9-10 MSG)
Regardless of who we are, what position we hold, what dreams we carry, we all have a part to play in someone else's journey. No person is an island. Years from now, when I have long left this earth, I wonder how many lives will have been shaped for good as a result of my actions and conversations today?
Lord help me to be someone who is generous with my time and with my words. Help me keep my eyes on the big picture so that discouragement won't creep in. Let me never isolate myself from people or hold back when I have the opportunity to do good, no matter how inconvenient. Keep reminding me that that my dreams will come true as I help others fulfill theirs.
