Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope. This is a message on a national monument in Washington DC. I happened to come across a book in my son-in-law’s den while just visiting them with a picture of the monument on the cover page with this phrase. It struck a chord immediately with me when I saw it, so googled the phrase and here is what I found.
It’s a special place for reflection and contemplation in Washington, D.C. Just off the well-treaded paths of the National Mall lies a somewhat quieter monument, set between a park and large pond. Overlooking the Tidal Basin sits the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Visitors come for a fantastic view of the cherry blossoms and to pay homage to one of the greatest civil rights leaders in U.S. history.
The memorial stands as a testament to the life of a man who left an unforgettable mark on the history of the United States. Regal and resolute, it captures both the tragedy and triumph of Dr. King’s life. “It’s a place to reflect on what comprises the American story at its both good and bad points,” said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service. The memorial was designed to physically represent a quote from King’s famous “I have a dream” speech: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Sculptor Lei Yixin depicted a granite statue of King emerging as a “stone of hope” from a symbolic “mountain of despair.” The roughly hewed edges depict the difficult journey, while the entrance conjures the openness of democracy.
The memorial is noteworthy as the first major monument on the National Mall dedicated to an African American and non-president, according to Litterst. Its dedication date in 2011 was on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The monument’s address, 1964 Independence Ave. SW, is a nod to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
How often do we reach moments of despair in our lives? How often do we decide the task is too difficult, that it is hopeless to think we can successfully overcome the issue at hand, that we can possibly make a difference? I just had such an incident. I am serving on a Board and was tasked with overseeing the development of a plan to resolve a nasty problem that our Association was facing. I have attacked this project vigorously for the past six months with a plan to have a plan in place by the beginning of May. I involved the entire Board in the planning process and had excellent cooperation from them. The main problem I found was with some others outside our Association, including attorneys, who did not share our Board’s sense of urgency. Try as I might, I was just having difficulty bringing everyone together to achieve an important goal for our Board and Association. One thing I knew for sure was that I could not depend on the attorneys involved because they seemed to create the largest delays in getting decisions made and moving forward!!!!
So our Board meeting came up two weeks ago, and we were unable to pass the needed proposal at our meeting. I was scheduled to have a phone call the next day with one of the lawyers involved and he was to update me on a very recent meeting he had with the other attorneys involved in our issue. He told me that the attorneys were all in agreement and he would be glad to edit our existing plan document that he knew would pass the attorney vote. I agreed to his proposal because I felt I had no other options. Despite the previous delays I had experienced from the attorney group, he returned me an edited proposal within two hours. I submitted it to the people needing to approve it outside our Board and was still not optimistic it would pass because I knew they still had some concerns. It took about five more days, but I learned that the proposal was approved! So our Board now had a plan that we could act on to resolve this very difficult issue that was facing us.
So right when my despair overtook me and I thought the plan had failed, the one group I gave no chance of getting us over the finish line – the attorneys – were the ones that led us to success.
In my defense, I prayed very hard throughout this entire process that God would lead us to a Godly solution in a Godly manner. I am convinced that God provided the solution, it just took a very different path than I had planned. We got where we needed to go, God just had to show me the way and let me trust in Him for the answer.
This experience also reminded me of one of Tina’s recent One-Liners About God – Man’s way leads to a hopeless end; God’s way leads to an endless hope. That saying certainly summarizes my recent experience. Our only true hope is to trust in Him and His ways, not in man’s ways.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
These Biblical truths are self-evident as long as we follow His path designed specifically for each of us in His timeframe.