Mount Rushmore

I haven't posted any new pieces lately because we have been on a journey out west.  We flew into Denver, Colorado, rented a car and then drove through five more states before returning to Denver 15 days later.  We drove through 2,645 miles of beautiful and interesting scenery.  You probably recognize the location of the picture above -- the famous four carved into the granite side of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  The less famous two in the foreground are, of course, my husband Larry and myself.

We enjoyed spending several hours exploring and learning about this amazing work.  A sculptor named Gutzon Borglum had the vision and know-how to accomplish this great feat (with the help of 400 workmen) and build a masterpiece for the ages.  The carving process began in October 1927 and was not officially completed until October 1941.  The heads of the presidents are about 60 feet tall.  Even the eyes are huge at 11 feet wide -- and can you imagine a nose that's 21 feet high?!

They say that a total of 450,000 tons of granite was removed from the mountain to create these faces -- mostly by strategic use of dynamite.  I cannot even fathom that amount of rock, but each handful of stone had to be removed carefully and from just the right spots to cause each detail to turn out so beautifully.

God is our Creator and Builder.  He made each and every one of us for a special purpose.  Here are some verses that speak of God's building projects -- us:

"For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God" Hebrews 3:4

"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them" Psalm 139:16

"Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments" Psalm 119:73

Then there is the idea of removing what is unneeded and superfluous in order to create a desired outcome that reminds me of what God does in the lives of His children.  John 15:1-8 shows how God "prunes" us and removes things from our lives so that we will become better versions of ourselves and bear more fruit to His glory.  Growth often comes through difficulty (and we just hope it doesn't require the use of dynamite).  There is a song sung by Laura Story that says, "What if your blessings come through raindrops; what if your healing comes through tears; what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?  What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise."

As we see God working and building and pruning to make us His great masterpieces for eternity, we can give God the glory and say with the Psalmist:  "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well" (139:14).