A Mt. Rushmore Memory
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with reflections on Mt. Rushmore.
I’ll tell you in a minute why I have such a personal fascination with this national memorial supervised by the U.S. National Park Service. We all know it well; we probably can name the presidents up there: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln. All of them great leaders. Well, that memorial took 14 years to complete, and over 400 workers with jackhammers helped carve the faces of those national leaders. And today is the anniversary of its completion back in 1941. And I want you to know that over 80 years ago, my mother, Lindy Eareckson, helped carve the nose of Thomas Jefferson. Yep, you heard me right.
You see, my mom was just a young person in my daddy’s youth group at church, and one summer my father took everyone in the group on a two-week tour of the West. It was an adventure disguised as part Bible study and part touring the great parks and monuments out in the West. Of course, my mother and my father were not married at the time, but John Eareckson could not help but notice Lindy’s spunk. Now, Captain John – that’s what everyone in the youth group called him – Captain John knew about Mt. Rushmore out in South Dakota. And everyone in the big truck were excited to see this huge sculpture in the making, and they were not disappointed when they drove up and saw this massive mountain with the faint makings of sculpted faces. Daddy made camp at the base of the mountain, conferred with the foremen on the job, and promised everyone the next morning, they could all hike up to the top. And the following day, after a long hike to the crest of that mountain, all the kids in the youth group had a chance to snap pictures and talk with the workers who were carving the stone. And one of the workers said, “Hey, any of you kids want to jump in my cage and be lowered over Thomas Jefferson to help me carve it?”
Well, immediately, Lindy’s hand shot up in the air before anybody else’s. Like I said, even my dad back then noticed her spirit. And so, she was picked; she climbed into the basket with the worker, and was lowered over the nose of Jefferson. The jackhammer was affixed to the metal cage. And the man placed my mother’s hands over that jackhammer, fired it up, and for a brief minute, she pressed the drill against the granite that shaped part of the nose of Thomas Jefferson. She actually carved the sculpture – or at least a tiny square inch of it! One of Lindy’s friends, standing atop the mountain, snapped a photo. I remember it well. It’s a little faded and grainy, but that blurry image, yep, that’s my mother up there on Mt. Rushmore.
And every time I look at that photo, I’m so proud of my mother with all her spirit and spunk. But I also take delight in all that Mt. Rushmore represents.
Psalm 37 says that “the Lord upholds the righteous.” And Proverbs 16 says that “a throne is established through righteousness.” All this to say that, God used righteous leaders and their skill and wisdom to guide our nation; leaders like Lincoln and Washington and Jefferson. They were not perfect men by any measure, but the Lord used them nevertheless to shape the moral character of America. And yes, true, there may be now those who want this national memorial to be destroyed, but not me, not my husband. And every time I look at the photo of my mother helping to celebrate those four presidents, I pray that God would give us such leaders again, once again.
Hey, if you’re interested in that photo of my mother Lindy Eareckson at Mt. Rushmore, I’ve got it! And you can see it today; I’ve posted it at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
Disability and the Gospel
Disability and the GospelLearn how God uses our brokenness to display His grace. As a parent of a disabled child, Beates encourages believers and churches alike to embrace those who appear more physically and visually broken, and to help bring vision and hope to those who need it most.
