Ex-president’s life after office was model for how we should live
Jimmy Carter may not have been the most successful president in our line of leaders. But he has set a high bar for ex-presidents. He showed that the legacies left behind aren’t defined solely by what they did during their one or two terms in the nation’s highest office.
The man’s life encompassed a lot of good things about America. He was a Boy Scout, then farmer, served in the Navy, and rose to be governor and then president. The majority of his life was spent serving others.
Carter’s sense of humanity was engrained even though he was raised in a segregated racist Old South in Georgia. But he devoted himself to equality and dignity that was rooted in his faith.
He was ambitious in his career but kept a sense of humility about him as he rose through societal ranks. And even as he did, he served his local church and his school board in the 1950s as he tried to return a family farm to profitability.
Carter led the country during a tumultuous time, as the country dealt with an economy wrecked by inflation, an energy crisis that saw gas prices skyrocket, and the failed attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran.
But the years during his single term as president made less of a mark than his decades back in private life. He was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for 77 years.
He accepted his defeat with dignity — a trait which defined his life. He then began creating his own life as a servant, living simply, helping others, serving his family and his community.
The image of him in his mid-nineties, bruised and bandaged, returning to work on a home being built for others is an enduring one. It speaks of putting others before oneself and of serving humanity with no excuses and in spite of challenges.
Of the many tribute quotes going around, one stated, “Jimmy Carter is an elegant reminder that Christianity is a practice and not a declaration.”
That hits home. We’re grateful the late president lived his faith in both word and deed and left a legacy of service to others. — K.E.C.
