In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places wild be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh will see it together." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

We recently celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday which serves as a remembrance of what a great man did during a dark time in American history. We remember him as an activist and as a voice of justice and change in a time of deep injustice and chaos. We often forget that he was also a follower of Christ and a Pastor. 

For the first time, I actually sat down and read the famous "I have a dream" speak that is quoted above. We are all pretty familiar with it and probably have a passage from it that we can quote by heart. Familiarity is good, but reading it is better. I read it and was moved again by his powerful words. His words are for justice and freedom; he strongly addresses the sins of man and asks that they be corrected. He doesn't, however, slander the people who he sees are driving the injustice. He doesn't call names. He actually encourages people who favor racial equality to value their character and not be dragged down into the gutters. He speaks with power and influence but he also speaks truth and integrity. It's a beautifully crafted speech that I would say is Holy Spirit inspired. I am moved by his passion for his cause and also his passion that his movement stay non-violent. He encourages his people not to give in to the violence that has come against them. Wow. 

The line I quoted above was moving to me. In the midst of racial segregation that was tearing lives and our nation apart, stands one man who longs to see the glory of God be revealed through people uniting and treating each other as equals. He doesn't write this hope as a fleeting desire that might happen. He writes this hope as a solid guarantee that one day, the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all will see it. The certainty is inspiring. 

So, what's the point? My point is to challenge all of us to see opposition the way Martin Luther King Jr. saw it. As an opportunity to for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that we are to love our enemies and be kind to those who hurt us;
Martin Luther King Jr. is echoing the words of Jesus. There is much conflict in our world today and Christians are some of the first to get nasty and become violent whether in word or deed. We should be challenging ourselves to keep our character and not stoop to violence. We should stand together with anticipation that the glory of the Lord will be revealed. 

If you are interested in reading the speech, click here