Revival Part 6
January 12, 2025
Revival Part 6
In these days after the recent passing of President Jimmy Carter, we are reminded of what a great man he was. He came from relative anonymity to win the presidency while having campaigned on truth and a return to moral values. America said “Yes” to him and enjoyed a brief honeymoon with him as President. Yet this was short-lived. Though he made tremendous strides in helping bring peace to the Middle East, his presidency was marked by many problems and failures. Interest rates rose dramatically, gas was scarce, there was tremendous inflation, and the country suffered prolonged anxiety and national humiliation over the Iranian, hostage crisis.
In the next national election, Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan. The country said emphatically “No” to four more years of a Carter presidency. This was a tremendous defeat for what they had hoped would be a transformative administration. The Carters returned to Plains, Georgia, with heavy hearts. They spent their first year as regular citizens, recuperating from all the trauma that had plagued their years in the White House.
But Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter refused to live the rest of their lives in defeat and humiliation. They believed in the core values that led them to the White House and could do nothing else but continue to live them out with just as much conviction as during their presidency. So, they revived their zeal for the Sacred Action to which they were called: peace-making, helping the poor, and providing moral leadership. Plains, Georgia, became an epicenter for teaching and implementing humanitarian efforts. The Carter Library in Atlanta was not only a library, but a training center for peace-making, reconciliation, and mediation, for community and groups of all kinds around the globe.
Some historians hold that the Carter's post-presidency years were much more profound and transformative for the world than their years in the White House.
In their post-presidency years, Jimmy and Rosalynn also put huge efforts into Habitat for Humanity, and personally helped build house after house. Doing what they believed in, their lives were testimonies of belief in action. And it all began with a crushing defeat. As the Carters showed us so well, defeat and loss can revive our central life force.
Spiritual practice: Can you define what fuels your life force? If you can, has it ever been extinguished for some reason? What revived it? If it is still diminished, might you return to the purpose of our soul?
Self-Inquiry: What would be some reasons why you want to revive your central meaning?
Dear God,
I pray to know deep in my heart that my defeats are not final if I rely on your undying spirit. Amen
