200 Years Later
Blaine Kelly
One life contains so much potential. Few things illustrate one person’s potential as much as the date of February 12, 1809. It was on this day that two baby boys were born - baby boys whose adult lives would revolutionize their world.
Born to uneducated farmers in Hardin County Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln’s early life was full of loss and disappointment. In spite of his misfortunes, Lincoln pursued a political career that led him to the White House. He guided his country through its most tumultuous time, abolished slavery, quickly forgave his enemies, and initiated a new sense of freedom for generations to come.
Born in Shrewsbury, England, Charles Darwin enjoyed all the privileges that come with being the son of a wealthy doctor. One opportunity eventually led him to the Galapagos Islands and the Writing of On the Origin of Species. The book introduced the world to the theory of evolution that, to this day, serves as foundation for multiple fields of science.
Two men, two legacies. While both lives continue to influence our world, it seems that they do so in quite different ways. One man believed that all men are created equal; the other believed that man is a convenient consequence of the natural world. One man taught that the strong should help the weak; the other man said that only the strong survive. While one man elevated what it means to be human, the other reduced man to nothing more than an advanced primate. One man’s work planted the seeds of racial and national unity, while the other man’s work planted the seeds of cultural confusion and division.
February 12th marked the 200th birthday of two historical lives, but the impacts of those lives could not be more different. One life contains so much potential. What will you do with the potential God has given you? -290 Twin Estates, Glasgow, KY 42141. blaine@glasgow-coc.org (270) 404-2684.
(Editor’s note: Brother Blaine is one of the preachers of the South Green Street church of Christ in Glasgow, KY. This is the first article we have published from him. He is the grandson of one of our regular writers, George Erwin.)