Words for Today from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Every year, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fight for civil rights and racial equality.
As Dr. King led in the movement for equality, he encouraged his followers to use peaceful means, rather than “drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” His wanted us to “be able to work together, pray together, struggle together.”
Dr. King wanted more than equal rights for all. He worked to build healthy relationships between the races. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a lot to learn about living in harmony with one another—and not just between the races.
Today, our nation is divided. We need to find unity. Our elected representatives struggle, but they aren’t together in their struggle.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a lot of thought to building unity. It would be good to consider his words. He said:
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”*
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”*
“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.”*
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”*
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”*
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”*
Yes, Dr. King is right. We need to take the first step in faith. In this quote, he didn’t define what he meant by faith, but I think that’s the core of the problem. Where is our faith?
Where is our faith as a nation? In our president? Our representatives? In the individuals leading the efforts to find a compromise? Or in our God?
With family struggles, church differences, or tensions at work, where is our faith?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his famous “I’ve Got a Dream” speech that he hoped to “be able to work together, pray together, struggle together.” Without praying together, our efforts to work together often seem like a useless struggle.
There are some things about King’s life that I can’t agree with, but I agree with these quotes and their importance today. Forgiveness is critical. Jesus said we should forgive our brother seventy times seven times (Mt. 18:21).
Likewise, love is central to finding unity. We are commanded to love, even to love our enemies (Mt. 22:37, 5:44).
Without love and forgiveness, relationships will be strained.
However, without recognition of God and dependence on Him, our best efforts will be limited, if not disastrous. Jesus said, if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit, but “apart from [Him we] can do nothing” (Jo. 15:5). Nothing.
It seems we are spinning our wheels and doing nothing. Are we separated from Him?
With God, nothing is impossible (Mt. 19:26).
The choice is ours. We can allow politically-correct definitions to determine who we are and continue in-fighting, or we can cry out to the living God for His will—while loving our enemies and forgiving those who oppose and revile us.
What have you found helps restore harmony and the ability to work and struggle together?
- (Quotes from: http://brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html)
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