George Washington Carver once asked God to tell him about the universe. According to Carver, the Lord replied, “George, the universe is just too big for you to understand. Suppose you let me take care of that.” Humbled, George persisted along a less ambitious track. “Lord, how about a peanut?” The Lord replied, “Now, George, that’s something your own size. Go to work on it and I’ll help you. “When George Carver finished studying the peanut, he had discovered over three hundred products that could be made with that little bit of God’s universe.
There’s learning in the biography of this saint for Christians and non-Christians alike, that is, for we who are Pro-Lifers.
God has given each of us our “one pound” or “two talents.” And, in our pilgrimage through this life, He has given to us certain opportunities, no matter how small or insignificant, opportunities to reflect some of His glory and, of course, to uphold the values which He has sealed with His Word. Whenever Christians become involved in struggle, they must do so remembering that “the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47). The Lord determines all issues related to battle: how long it will go on and when it will end, who and what will fall, and who and what will stand, the final outcome, etc. Believers, like George Carver, must simply roll up their sleeves and set to work, knowing that the Lord is with them and trusting all issues to Him. Bill Baird, our pro-abortionist enemy in the U.S. says, “This is a religious, holy war.” Though Baird is on the wrong side, he is right-on. It is “a religious, holy war.”
Christians often forget that in fighting a cause, selecting and pursuing a vocation, or whatever, it is most important that we do not seek to make a name for ourselves but, instead, let God make a name for Himself through us, as He did with George Carver and the peanut, and as He has done with countless other saints in diverse times and various ways. A war is many battles, and a battle is many skirmishes, and even a skirmish is many people and events. Let us devote the war, the battles and the skirmishes to the Lord and His glory. God is never looking for extraordinary men and women to accomplish ordinary tasks. He has assigned to each one of us the places of service best suited to our talents, whether we affirm the Lord or not. If we will devote all our peanut opportunities and tasks to the Lord, He will take what is ordinary and make of it something extraordinary.
A bigger place than this to fill –
For that I do not pray,
But to be big enough to fill
The place I have today
Our pro-life cause, our “holy war,” is like the universe – overwhelming in its totality.
Let us learn the lesson God teaches through George Carver and concentrate on the peanut.
In the peanut cause, I offer some practical suggestions:
- Home Displays. If each of us in Pro-Life had an open display of pamphlet and booklet literature in our home and, in addition, took every opportunity available to us to distribute the literature to those who cross our thresholds, we would provide a significant educational influence with the minimum of effort. Recently, my wife and I, who are a month old in the movement, put an assortment of pamphlets together and slipped them into manila envelopes for ready distribution. These brown envelopes cost $ 0.04 each while the Pro-Life pamphlets are free.
- Sowing Abroad: Already my wife and I have sent some of our “educational packages” to relatives in eastern Canada. Other relatives and friends will also receive these gifts from us, including those farther-flung such as some of my relatives in Wales and England. Once again, we feel, there will be significant educational influence with a minimum of cost and effort. Of course, we pray that our “pamphlet packages” will also bring about commitment to our cause in Pro-Life.
By the way, the packages, which we have sent and are sending to relatives include subscriptions to Interim, that is, gift subscriptions.
One more point along these lines. We also feel that our “educational” or “pamphlet packages” should contain a relevant bibliography of books and materials available on the issue. Of course, such a list should include current prices. How ’bout it Pro-Life? A relevant bibliography with current prices.
- Close to Home: These PL packages (i.e., PL for Pro-Life) with bibliography, educational pamphlet material, and subscription forms are also useful for group distributions such as among church members, etc. We think that it is immeasurable more effective to hand a person a package with intelligently-collected material rather than to simply hand out random pamphlets, or worse yet, to drop a word or a hint.
Again closer to home, there are libraries. My wife noticed this possibility. More particularly, there are information stands in each library whose racks are made freely available to the public for pamphlets and booklets. She has observed Planned Parenthood material in the racks along with literature from other community groups. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
And yet, we must be cautious. We have not determined at this point the source or nature of policy with regard to these stands except their free access by the public. It would seem prudent to have some answers on these questions before proceeding to deposit material on the racks. For example, it would be important to know whether or not policy is set by each individual librarian instead of regional, provincial, or some national committee. However, if these stands are available to us at Pro-Life, then we have here one of those peanut-sized tasks that the Lord can use mightily.
There’s a practical and economic consideration about these PL packages. Many members of Pro-Life who would happily distribute these loaded envelopes, might not find it practicable for whatever reason to put them together. Such a situation might provide an opportunity for local Pro-Life offices to generate a little revenue, say at $0.10 or $0.20 an envelope.
Along a completely different tack there’s another peanut-sized idea with great possibilities for the Lord to bless. It concerns our problem with Bill C-169. If Pro-Life incorporates, and defies this Fascistic law, it becomes liable to some heavy fines. Of course, incorporation removes these fines as an individual burden. What’s needed is to whittle Bill C-169 down to peanut size where every Pro-Life member can become involved. The trick is to spare the Pro-Life organization and leadership, individual Pro-Lifers, and the printers of our literature while, at the same time, making known to the public during the election the position on abortion of each of the candidates. A difficult problem, perhaps, but certainly not impossible. Here’s how in a few words.
Using standard typing paper, print in large letters the salient message about the candidate or about Bill C-169 or whatever. Be sure to use a simple formula approach such as:
(i) X is……..
(ii) A VOTE FOR X is…….
(iii) BILL C-169 is…….
This is an almost perfect weapon against Bill C-169. No mention of person, organization or printer. Just a piece of paper with a simple important message.
Of course, our Pro-Life leadership might decide to disobey the legislation in order to test it in the courts. However, we would not advise hasty action in this direction because better-heeled groups may take up the challenge for us. Another possibility is to approach other groups who oppose Bill C-169 and create a joint pool of legal funds ford the fight.
When the cathedral in Milan, Italy, was completed, vast throngs of people assembled to witness its dedication. In that large crowd was a little girl who pointed to the beautiful edifice and cried with childish glee, “I helped build that! I helped build that!” A nearby guard adorned in a brilliant uniform exclaimed, “What! What did you do?” Nonplussed, the girl replied, ” I carried the dinner pail for my father while he worked up yonder.”
In the dedicated service of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, everything is a great work whether we dissect a peanut or help build a cathedral. In the immense and complex universe that was too much for the understanding of George Carver, God is attentive to an infinite number of details just as He is on earth and in our daily lives. No task is too small or unimportant for Him. And faithfulness on our part in little things is rewarded (Lk. 19:17)
