Rushmore Reminder
By Mart De Haan
In 1941, sculptor Gutzon Borglum completed his work on Mount Rushmore. The 60-foot-high granite heads of four US Presidents now stand like sentinels of democracy over the Black Hills of South Dakota. The imposing likenesses of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt remind visitors of our nation’s heritage and history.
God told Israel’s leader, Joshua, to take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan River for a similar purpose (Josh. 4:1-7,20-24). The Lord wanted future generations to have a memorial to their national history. He wanted them to remember that as He parted the Red Sea to get them out of Egypt He also parted the Jordan to get them into the Promised Land. He wanted them to live not only in the present, but with the reminder of the values, faith, and experiences of their founding fathers: Moses, Aaron, and Joshua.
God understands our human nature and knows that “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” occurs all too often in our spiritual lives. We need physical reminders of spiritual truths. We need to pile up stones, write journals, and tell family stories to help us remember the miracle of God’s provisions that neither we nor our children can afford to forget.
Think About It
How has God shown Himself to be faithful to you and your family in the past? How can you make sure you’ll remember? With whom can you talk about it today?