The World on the Other Side of Visible: A book review of Ben Carson's Gifted Hands.

Ben Carson is undoubtedly one of the most prominent role models for young people in the 21st century. What sets him apart is that his success is not short-lived as we see in the career of many one-hit wonders in Hollywood, or politicians shamed by their own double-standards. His life is an illustration of the tree referred to in Psalms Chapter 1, the tree that is firmly planted and tended by streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season. The tree whose leaves never fade or wither and not only is that tree fruitful but its fruitfulness is long lived. 

The first time I read Gifted Hands was in High School, my sister who is nine years younger than me, is now reading this same novel. Evidence that the impact of Ben Carson's life story is being passed down through generations, right before our eyes.

The wisdom of this world tells us that Ben Carson, who at 8 years old lost the presence of his father in the home, should have undoubtedly become "one of the statistics" - one of the many young men who go through life mad at the world and hurting other people to somehow vindicate the pain of neglect and rejection. In Lee Strobel's journey from Atheism to Christianity captured in his famous book "A Case for Christ", it is mentioned that some of the most prominent and outspoken atheists were all men who had distant, abusive fathers or who had no father present in their lives at all.

 Ben Carson would not have stood a chance against this world, if it not had been for the faith of his mother - Sonya Carson. In his book, Gifted Hands, Ben Carson recalls his thoughts as a young boy - "I have sunshine in my heart, regardless of conditions around me". The impact of these words were heart breaking, as I imagined a young, poor, black boy living in an American ghetto. How can someone with so little and surrounded by misery, have so much joy?

 Reading this book now has a different meaning for me - the story was the same, but the context has changed due to my life experiences between High School and now. Losing one parent and finding myself, at the age of 18, depending on the other remaining parent was definitely a game changer. I can see why Sonya Carson had to admit herself to an institute, such circumstances in life, are hard to bear, and we should never be ashamed to ask for help when we need it.

 But Sonya Carson strikes me as a woman with vision, and I believe Ben inherited this gift from his mother. She saw more than her life and circumstances, she saw a better life and a better world that she belonged too. Moreover, she had a strong belief to back it up, this belief shows through in her words to a young Ben Carson "The doors of the world are open to people who can read". This revelation came from a woman with a third grade education and a whole lot of wisdom.

 The humility of this brilliant man never ceases to amaze me, it is in fact humbling to know a now world renown neurosurgeon and politician was once a supervisor for a garbage collecting crew and worked in a mailroom on his school breaks. Furthermore, when practicing medicine, Ben Carson often took up jobs from his colleagues cheerfully, despite the added work load, knowing he would get good experience from it. In fact, sometimes the recognition for what he did was given to someone else instead! This serves as hope for me as a young professional or for any unemployed youth that we are not to despise humble beginnings and 'little work', no matter if we have a degree or a grade 10 certificate, whatever we find to do, we must do it to the best of our abilities, knowing that everything happens for a reason. 

 Through Ben Carson's trials he came to know the God of his mother, as his own God. Even with an absent father and a mother who worked three jobs, Ben Carson overcame the root of anger and shame in his life. He found purpose and a love of knowledge that propelled him to position and recognition well above his contemporaries and colleagues.

 Ben Carson's story is inseparable from that of his mother's and from God. I admire his courage, although being a part of a society in modern day America, that more than ever wants to exclude God from the 'secular' world, he does not omit God from his story. But he presents his story as if it were secondary to the greatness of God. His gifted hands, are only a tool that God uses to heal and make whole.

I find it interesting that his acclaimed gift of hand and eye coordination, is physically limited only to his hands, because when he was in Primary School his eyesight was so poor that the doctor claimed Ben's vision was so bad he could almost be blind. Being limited with his physical eyes, his "mind's eye" took over and he surrendered to vision, imagination, knowledge and the world that could not yet be seen - "the gift of seeing in three dimensions" that he describes - seeing a world just on the other side of visible, a world just as real as the one we can see and feel now.

 Ben Carson's dependence upon God is a recurring theme in the story, even when he fails to study in his first year of Yale, his heart of willingness is pure before the Lord and he is saved. Ben Carson recalls this with wonder writing that "For whatever reason, the God of the Universe, the God who holds galaxies in His Hands, had seen a reason to reach down to a campus room on planet Earth and send a dream to a discouraged ghetto kid who wanted to become a doctor".

His dependence on God, reminds me of King David of the bible. In the psalms you see the heart of David, cut open and bleeding for the presence and knowledge of God. A man of great power and wealth, reducing himself to dust in the light of the God of the Universe. Ben Carson also depicts this pursuit, often conversing with God, not only in the operating theatre but also in his research and in his interactions with patients. The hope he gives to the hopeless patients stem from the testimony of his own life, that what is impossible with man, is possible with God.

Ben Carson's confidence in God plays out in his life and career, he says in his book "…the Lord would never get me into anything he couldn't get me out of, so I wasn't going to spend an excessive amount of time worrying". In other words, Ben Carson knew that everything he did would succeed and he didn't have to worry about failure, even when it did come. This attitude no doubt got him through many of those sensitive and complicated cases that no one else in his field had the boldness to take on. Many children would not be alive and pursuing their own purpose in life if it weren't for his caring and bold spirit.

Ben Carson is not a man who gives up easily, and he has changed many a life because of his stubborn persistence and his gift of "seeing" in three dimensions - seeing a world just on the other side of visible. Ben Carson says in his book "God gives us all gifts, special abilities that we have the privilege of developing to help us serve Him and humanity". 

In the bible Genesis story, God told Adam and Eve that He gave them every tree with seed in its fruit (Gen 1:29 AMPC version). In the same way we also are like a tree, and everything we need to be fruitful is already in us - the seed is in our fruit. But it always starts as a seed, as something small and unnoticeable, as small and humble beginnings. With patience and a whole lot of endurance, like Ben Carson's life, our seed can become deeply rooted trees, prosperous and long-living, a true success.