A person’s gift…
Above: Sunset on Christmas Eve
Proverbs 18:15-17 – 5 The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for and craving) knowledge. 16 A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.
Saturday, 26th December was Boxing Day here in England. Because we live in an area that is observing Tier 4 lockdown, John and I had a very quiet Christmas, it being just the two of us in the flat for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as our regular terrestrial and satellite television channels, served us hours of entertainment.
After an early evening meal, we settled down to watch Hidden Figures. The film has been on my “To Watch” list since its release in 2016.
Before there were mechanical computers, there were human computers—people who performed advanced mathematical calculations. Among these human computers were three black women, Dorothy Vaughan, Creola Katherine (Goble) Johnson, and Mary Jackson. They met through their work at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the predecessor of NASA. The film focuses on the determination these women had; using their gift of mathematics to not only help to win the ‘space race’, but to break social, political and gender boundaries.
All three of them were born in the 1920’s, when segregation allowed white people to shun blacks, Native Americans, and other minority groups. White people would not be caught in a black business, nor would minority folk be allowed in white businesses. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans were not allowed to ride in the front of buses, drink at water fountains designated for whites, attend schools or churches where whites congregated and socialized.
What I found astounding was the fact that these three black women fought discrimination, disrespect and in some instances, resentment with grace, wisdom and faith. It is brought out in the film that all three women were committed to not only their work, but their families and their church communities.
They did not protest by marching, holding placards and behaving belligerently. Rather, they focused on their gifts and doing their work with excellence. They used their communication skills to win over government officials, work supervisors and even co-workers. Yes, they had to push boundaries, being assertive with those who ran the programs.
Dorothy, Katherine and Mary understood the principles of mathematics, geometry, and calculus. They took that understanding, that science, those skills that could not be argued with, and determinedly walked into a National government organization and took their place in history.
I am sure these women honored God, because they practiced their faith. Hebrews 12:2 reports that Jesus, while despising the shame of the cross, ignored it and pressed on to obtain the joy set before Him. Dorothy, Katherine and Mary followed Jesus’s example of ignoring the insults, the prejudice in order to experience the joy of using their talents, their gifts and looking beyond the moment to see a higher goal, a higher good.
God has given each one of us innate skills, understandings and talents. If we are diligent, persistent, disciplined, those skills will lead us into places we never imagine. The gift is not just for us. The gifts are meant to equip us to honor God, share His kingdom and lead us to the places He has prepared for us.