I watched a movie over the weekend about the true story of the Englishman Alan Turing and how he broke the German code during World War II. Fascinating story and also very true. He was a loner and didn’t have many friends because he was an introverted mathematician. He wasn’t popular, didn’t get invited out with the group, spoke quietly and basically had no qualities that indicated he was leader. He had no experience with breaking codes, yet Winston Churchill put him in charge of the unit tasked with breaking Germany’s code. Long story short, he broke the code and saved England from the destruction Hitler had planned. Millions of people then and today owe their live to Alan Turing. Without him, many believe the world today would look vastly different.

One thing stood out to me in the story: Alan had the mindset to hire the brightest minds regardless of race, gender or religion. One of the people he hired was a woman named Joan Clarke who tested far superior than any of the men. He didn’t care that she was woman in a world at the time that was controlled by men. When she asked why he wanted to hire her, his response made me pause because it is so very true. He said, “Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” I have thought about that statement for the last two days.

If you really took the time to look at history from the disciples to modern day success stories, what you will find is that in many cases the very people that have all the capabilities, looks, brains, dress, education, and personality are not the ones who do great things. It is usually the ones no one expects anything from that go on to change the world. I think of the unpopular kids, and in many cases the ones that dropped out of college, that went on to invent Microsoft, Apple, Chick-fil-A, Coke, IBM . .  . I even think about Charles Henry Dow who invented the Dow Jones Industrial average and the Wall Street Journal who had no formal education and left home when he was 16 years old. It’s usually the people no one suspects that change the world.

Just because you may not have all the opportunities or abilities others may have, don’t think God cannot do a great work through you. KT