“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.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It is hard to begin writing a post about the man behind that quote, the impact he has had, & continues to have on the world we live in today. The way that he choose to stand up, speak out, teach, preach, & fight peacefully for the equality of mankind was, & still is, inspiring & monumental. I hope that I can fight the way he did. Be a voice for injustice & peacefully fight for RIGHT.

It is sickening to me that we are still fighting over the issue of racism. It SHOULDN’T BE AN ISSUE. You would have thought we’d have figured this out well before the days of MLK & his fight for equality. But alas. We are human, we are marked by selfishness, pride & hate. We are sinners that have to fight our flesh every single day. THANK GOODNESS for JESUS. I would be such a mess if it weren’t for redemption & forgiveness. But mostly, for His undying, never ending, never failing, LOVE. And with that love, I have the freedom from the chains of selfishness, pride & hate because the spirit of the LIVING GOD resides in me. Therefore, with His help, I can choose LOVE, I can fight against my own human weakness & choose LIFE. I can fight for the voiceless, I will fight for the voiceless, because if I don’t, who will? I will choose live my life for a better cause. I will fight for LOVE. Love is the only thing that will heal the wounds of racism that are continually ripped open over & over again in our nation. With Jesus, those wounds will scar, with the reminder of our failings as human beings. But scars can be daily reminders of healing & the GOOD things that we have & that our future holds.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963. It is said that the powerful speech was largely impromptu as he spoke out of the depths of his heart about his dream.

 

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

That speech, if you haven’t watched it recently, is well worth it. Our family watches it every year & it never fails to move us. If you’d like, watch it below:

A few of my personal favorite lines from this particular speech are listed below:

-“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

-“Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

-“The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.”

-“I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

-“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Don’t we all want to be judged by the content of our character? Rather than by the cars we drive, the jobs we have, the clothes we wear, the friends we have, how many followers we have, the color of our skin, the degrees we hold or how many “likes” we get? Wouldn’t it be so much sweeter if instead, we were judged by the way we live our lives & the BEAUTY that we bring the world around us?! I think so.

Dr. King said it so well. The way he chose to live his life, backed up his words. I want to be a woman of my word. I want my words to be a direct reflection of the way that I live my life of LOVE. I want my life to speak louder than my worlds. Every. Single. Day. If my 2 daughters are the ones who I have as my audience on a daily basis, I want to live my BEST for them. I want to represent REAL love, REAL joy, REAL zest. I want their memories of me to be FULL of life, laughter, silliness, dancing, truth, tenderness, care & dedication to make their lives the best lives possible. I want them to see me fight for goodness, for the beauty of life & for the betterment of mankind. I want to fight for justice & mercy.

Thank you MLK for the trailblazing that you did. Thank you for the direct impact on my family because of the way you fought for freedom & equality. I pray every single day that the bondage of racism that has held so many in our nation in captivity for decades would be washed away by that mighty stream. I am tired of it. I am tired of the lack of justice & mercy. I am tired of feeling hurt for the heart of the Father. I want the issue of racism to be an issue no longer. Help us, God. I will be a voice. I will live my life by example & choose love.

Think about a way that you can choose love, a way that you can live your life by example. With each of us choosing love, loving BIGGER & BETTER, we will be able to change the world around us & leave a different legacy for our own children. That is a dream worth fighting for!

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Cheers,

Katie.