Defining Success

George Washington Carver was a man who knew a thing or two about success. A nationally recognized botanist and inventor, you may remember him from your school years as the man who developed scores of products made from peanuts. His achievements in that area were substantial, but there was a lot more to Mr. Carver. He came up with all sorts of uses for soybeans, sweet potatoes and pecans. He was awarded a few patents.

You might also recall that he was an early proponent of crop rotation. Carver was decorated for his many accomplishments, rose to fame, and rubbed elbows with the elite. Still, he never lost sight of the Christian faith in which he was grounded. As we read above, he attributed his success to the Bible. At his burial site on the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute, this is what is written on the gravestone:

A life that stood out as a gospel of self-forgetting service. He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.

Sounds like quite a human being.