President Carter

Why wait until he passes away?

That’s what I have asked myself this week. I was going to wait to write a tribute to President Jimmy Carter after his death. I read reports about his deteriorating health, and after all, he is 98 years old. But the Lord is not finished with him yet, and for that I am grateful.

I am sure that ever since the beginning of the United States, presidents have been critiqued until everyone was sick of hearing about the miscues, poor judgment, lousy decision-making, political favors, partisanships, and on and on. I admit that I did not agree with all of President Carter’s policies and decisions, but then again, I cannot remember a president in my lifetime with whom I have been in total agreement of all their decisions and political leanings. Many said that Jimmy Carter was one of the worst presidents we have ever had. Of course, that is an opinion. Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has one, and some of them smell better than others.

Regardless of his accomplishments, mistakes, and political decisions while in office, I do not believe that any president has accomplished as much after serving as president as Jimmy Carter. I think he is the best “former President” of the United States.

In 1982, he formed the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. Among many other projects to save lives in developing countries around the world, Jimmy Carter led the Carter Center to eliminate river blindness in many countries Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, and along with their partners they are on track to eradicate this dreaded disease around the world. While serving in West Africa, we saw firsthand the devastation and loss of life caused by this awful debilitating malady.

As a former president Jimmy Carter put Habitat for Humanity on the international map. He did not just promote building houses for the underprivileged; he and former First Lady Rosalynn actually helped construct a number of houses.

President Carter has been a champion for human rights. He not only criticized world leadership for the mistreatment of the vulnerable; he also mitigated internal disputes in some countries.

Carter served as a diplomat-at-large and helped to settle clashes in places such as Nicaragua, Panama, Haiti, and Ethiopia. He brokered a nuclear disarmament deal with the North Korean regime and a short-lived cease-fire between the Bosnians and Serbs.  He remained an influencer in Middle East politics after his presidency.

President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The Nobel Committee stated that they had chosen him due to "his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

In 1993 I was invited to visit with President Carter and Rosalynn at the Carter Center in Atlanta to consult on an agro-forestry project and to talk with President Carter about the possibility of coming to work at the Carter Center. During my two-day visit, President Carter invited me to a Carter Center Executive Leadership meeting.

When we entered the boardroom there were about a dozen people seated at the table, and they all stood up to honor the former president. President Cater pulled a chair from alongside the wall and placed it at the head of the table on his left side and asked me to be seated. I wanted to wait on him to be seated, but he insisted that I sit down first. Then he was seated, and the rest of the leadership was seated. President Carter was a true southern gentleman who knew how to make his guests feel honored.

As the meeting progressed, President Carter crossed his right leg on his left knee, and I saw something that I will never forget. I looked at the bottom of his shoes (yes, I pay attention to details) and they had half-soles. On top of that, there was a hole in the half-sole! This former president of the United States, who had family wealth before he ever became president, could have bought entire shoe stores if he wanted, but he chose to have his shoes repaired with half-soles.

I admire women and men who understand what being a good steward of our resources is all about. However, Jimmy Carter is at another level. He is an unabashed follower of Jesus Christ who knows that God owns it all, and that our job is to steward or manage all that God has entrusted to us.

I am grateful for the personal time he invested in me.