Hope for a Better Day - MLK Jr. Day

After listening to the lyrics of Anything’s Possible by singer songwriter and bluesman Jonny Lang I thought about how all of us have hopes and dreams for a better day. That we would see the best of life for others we care about or for ourselves. But things get in the way.

Time passes and our hearts continue to long to see those hopes and dreams come to pass. Life takes a turn we didn’t expect or planned from either our own choices or just from the hard stuff of life. Here are some of those lyrics from Lang:

“it might not be easy-but anything’s possible, what if Benjamin Franklin would’ve been frightened by the lightning, if he would’ve stayed inside then we’d still be in the dark, Martin Luther King did some beautiful things, all because he had a dream just like you and me.”

What about your dreams and hopes? Do they seem so distant and unattainable, maybe even impossible? For some their extreme disappointment has brought them to such a place of desperation that they feel like giving up, one step away from ending it all. Does anyone care about this, about me? Will anyone stand up for justice? Yet, in the midst of all the brokenness there is always hope! It’s not over for you or me?

I believe we can all learn much for our own hopes and dreams from King’s life. Here are a few thoughts…

King grew up in middle class surroundings and his father was the highly respected pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He was accused of being a card carrying Communist, a Marxist agent merely posed as a minister. At the beginning of his social justice calling King was afraid for family and his own life. In a sermon, he prayed,

“Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now and I’m losing my courage and it seemed I heard a voice saying, Martin Luther stand for righteousness. Stand up for justice. And lo I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. He promised never to leave me, never leave me alone. No never leave me alone.”

Three nights later a bomb exploded on his front porch. Though not injuring anyone, King a man of fierce determination took it in stride. 

In the book ‘Bearing the Cross’, King said, “I am tired of the threat of death. I want to live, I don’t want to be a martyr. There are times I doubt if I’ll make it through. I’m tired of getting hit, beaten, tired of going to jail. But the important thing is not how tired I am, the important thing is to get rid of the condition that lead us to march.”

Here is an excerpt from King’s famous ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ to fellow church leaders in Alabama.
“But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.”

To read the whole letter in context click here:

When the march in Selma was over King addressed the weary marchers from the steps of the capital.
“How long will it take? However difficult, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long. Not long, because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long, because you reap what you sow. How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. How long? Not long, because my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” 

King was a man of focus who inspired many to re-consider the cultural norms of injustice. Though exhausted from years of steady plodding he remained resolute. Over the years I’d heard others refer to less admirable aspects to his life in order to minimize what good he had done.




What strikes me the most was not his personal sacrifices or his incessant non violent marches, nor even his eloquent speeches.  It was his firm grounding in the Christian gospel that motivated him to inspire others!

These are King’s words night before his assassination in Memphis. “Like anybody, I would like to live long. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will… I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.”
King was committed to the cause despite its cost. He carried his hopes and dreams everywhere he went. So here’s the deal. His hopes and dreams were for others and not just for himself.  He tenaciously persevered through all his trials and like you and I had times of doubt and felt like giving up, but he didn’t!

He knew he wasn’t alone and my friend, neither are you! So, if you feel discouraged or even feel like giving up then reflect on King’s extraordinary life, but may we never forget the real King of the universe who gives us a living hope that will last forever! If you’re Christ follower please know that He WILL be with YOU and WILL hold you in HIS hands while your life story unfolds.

Things might be out of your control, but not out of HIS! He has a plan for you and all is not over, so hold on! He will be with YOU! It’s not over – there’s still time. He will see you through and ultimately to the Promised Land!

Grateful,

Mark 
mark@markskalberg.com