Free in Christ

Booker T. Washington was born on this day in 1856 in a slave hut in Franklin County, Virginia. After slaves were emancipated, his family moved to Malden, West Virginia to try to escape abject poverty. Unable to afford school, he began working when he was nine, first in a salt furnace and later in a coal mine. Determined to get an education, he enrolled at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, walking the 500 miles to the campus. A few years after his graduation, he joined the institute’s staff.

Washington achieved a breakthrough in 1881, when he was selected to head a newly established school in Alabama, which later became known as the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Under his leadership, this became a respected institution, providing thousands of African-Americans with a first-rate education. Washington was influential in helping countless people to realize their God-given potential.

Careful to give praise to God, Washington found strength in his Christian faith. In 1895, he told an Atlanta audience about the importance of prayer, saying, “I make it a rule never to go before an audience…without asking the blessing of God upon what I want to say.” As a man who overcame overwhelming obstacles, he demonstrated that miracles could take place—for anyone.

Today, no matter what your background or the obstacles you face, remember that you are free through what Jesus has done for you. Seek to be an example to others. Live for Him. And remember: With God, all things are possible.