Treasure

Gutzon Borglum was the best, or at least he thought so.  No one else was up to the challenge of, what must be considered, his greatest work.  Doane Robinson must have thought so as well, for the South Dakota resident began a correspondence with Borglum about a project that would loom large over his state’s vast frontier.  Excited at the prospect, Borglum immediately traveled to listen to Robinson’s idea, and would eventually agree to taking on the work, with a major adjustment of course.

Robinson had the vision of creating a massive monument celebrating heroes of the West.  However, Borglum wanted it to be greater…celebrating not Western heroes, but heroes of the entire United States; Washington, Lincoln, and others.  Robinson agreed and began the laborious task of gathering support.  At times, it would prove nearly insurmountable, and while the monument would face (pun intended) many other obstacles over the years, none would rival the financial burden that at times stopped the work completely.

All that aside though, on August 10, 1927, with President Coolidge in the audience, Borglum ceremoniously drilled six holes into the side of the mountain.  The project had officially started, though it would be another two months before actual work began.  In 1930, George Washington’s face was dedicated in a ceremony.  Six years later, Thomas Jefferson was dedicated, and a year after that, Abraham Lincoln was dedicated.  The final face, Theodore Roosevelt, was dedicated in 1939.  Work continued on all four Presidents until the end of October 1941.  Sadly, Borglum died seven months before the completion, forcing his son Lincoln (named for the President) to finish the work started by his father 14 years earlier.

Mount Rushmore is a remarkable sight to see.  My family traveled there this summer to see the four “larger than life” faces carved into the side of the mountain.  It got me thinking though of the similarities between this monument, a national treasure and us, the treasure of God.  Now, depending on where you are in life, you may not feel treasured by God, but rest assured, you are.  Exodus 19:5 is just one verse that reminds us that we are indeed God’s treasure.  

In the original plans for Mount Rushmore, Jefferson’s face was going to be on Washington’s right.  The blasting and carving was well underway.  His face had begun to take shape.  But then, something unplanned occurred.  The rock was found to be too unstable.  As a result, it was blasted away and carving began to the left of Washington.  Like Mount Rushmore, you and I face obstacles that would love to see us fail.  We may be going along in life, and suddenly, something happens that forces us to change directions and go somewhere we never imagined.  We might be inclined to call these detours of life, but are they not really God’s way of getting our attention, oftentimes preventing us from going down a path that leads to destruction?

During the years’ long work, the carving was done by blasting away the outer rock.  Once that was removed, workers drilled a series of holes into the rock face, through a process called honeycombing.  They would then be able to chip away the remaining rock, shaping it into the faces of the Presidents.  Sometimes God has to use spiritual dynamite to clear away things in our life…things that are not healthy for our walk with Him.  Other times, he uses precision “honeycombing” to get the results needed for that closer relationship.  Isaiah 64:8 says that we are the work of His hand, and Philippians 1:6 reminds us that God has begun a good work in us which He will complete in His time.

Looking at the faces from a distance, it seems as though the surface of the rock is smooth and flawless.  But take the time to examine up-close photos and you realize how wrong you are.  Their faces are anything but flawless.  There are veins of discolored rock that run through all four Presidents.  Imperfections mar cheeks, lips, eyelids, chins, and foreheads.  There is nothing smooth or flawless about their likenesses.  Similarly, from a distant, it might look like we have it all together…that we are perfect.  But when examined up close, it is quite apparent that, in fact, we are not.  We have flaws, and not just the facial blemishes that we try to cover with make-up.  We say things we should not.  We judge others when we know it is wrong.  We act on behaviors that we later regret.  We are… well, flawed.  “But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  So, even though we explore paths we should not, God loves us.  Even though we carry extra baggage that needs to be blasted away, God loves us.  Even though we, so ineffectively, pretend to be perfectly put-together creatures, God loves us.  We are, after all, His treasure.