Change, Resolve & Legacy: Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” -  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Before 2020, did you ever think about having a conversation about race, or America’s dark history of slavery? Before 2020, have you ever whispered a prayer of gratitude to God for allowing you to have a job that pays? Before 2020, have you ever thought to acknowledge the value of having good health?

As we remember 2020, one could agree that it was a year of revelation. As the world came to a screeching halt, many of us were forced to acknowledge blaring sirens in our everyday lives. The comfortable hum of a routine may have muted many issues but, it’s pretty evident that sometimes, God has to shake things up to get our attention.

It takes true bravery to stop pretending, and it takes grit to take ownership of what happens around us. It’s in these moments of turbulence, we find out what we’re made of. The shaking always brings about change and we’re the ones who decide whether we want to change for the worse, or whether we want to have a God-led renewal of our hearts and minds.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero whom we know and love. His name is remembered and revered since the time of his death in 1968. His legacy of a dream of equality for all continues today not because he trusted in his own strength, but because he simply decided to trust God wholeheartedly.

Dr. King resolved to walk in empathy instead of apathy. He seized his opportunity to live up to the even greater example and legacy of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life, for the sake of the entire world.

Today God is calling you and I to do the same. God's message has not changed, from the days of the crucifixion of Jesus to the American Civil Rights movement, and through to 2021. He has made it plain and simple: how to live and how to treat others. Yet the simplest instructions aren't always the easiest to honor. Show God and the rest of the world your resolve to honor the legacy of Jesus Christ and to love others!

There’s work to be done on our part. Perhaps we can start by asking ourselves these questions:

What will my legacy be?

How can my life be the breeding ground for change?

How will I carry on Dr. King’s legacy?

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