" If a man hasn't discovered something he would die for, he isn't fit to live." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
This week, we celebrate the life of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up in the American South, a black upper- middle class male who was forced to ride in the back of the city bus, who was denied entry to the restaurants that his white counterparts enjoyed, and who received his education at a college reserved for blacks only.
And then, he became one of the most effective and celebrated civil rights activists in America.
Martin Luther King, Jr. put his cause ahead of anything else, even his own family and his own personal safety. He spent long hours reading, writing, meditating, crafting speeches, organizing marches, traveling to the "hot spots" of racial unrest. He was imprisoned, he spent time away from family, he faced death threats.
He understood from the very beginning that to make a real difference, we have to put ourselves on the line. On the night before he died, he said, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."
King understood that some causes transcend all else. He explained, " If I am stopped, this movement will not stop, because God is with this movement."
And so, I have to ask myself, was Martin Luther King, Jr. a saint -- or a fool?
King was educated, he had a secure and respected position as a minister, he had a family. Who in this world would put himself at such risk, for a "cause" ?
As I think about it, we are all called to serve God, and His vision of a peaceful, loving world. As Jesus' disciples, we are called to give up everything to follow Christ, and to give 100% of ourselves.
In my eyes, Martin Luther King, Jr. was, in this sense, very much a saint.
Do you sometimes fear that there are no saints any longer?
We have seen God's servants in this world in the past. Men like President Abraham Lincoln, who said, "Whatsoever shall appear to be God's will, I will do." [Sept. 1862.] And, " One day, I went to my room, locked the door and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily. I told Him that this war was His war and our cause His cause. I cannot explain it, but soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul." [ July 1863].
I myself take comfort, when I look around today and see others who would be saints. I see a determined lady like Daw Aung Suu Kyi of Myanmar (Burma), who in June, 2012 accepted a belated Nobel Peace prize for her work in her country against decades of autocratic military rule. Although her husband and two children escaped to Europe, she stayed behind, fearful that if she left her country, she would not be allowed to return to continue the fight. Her children grew up without her, and her husband died of cancer in 1999. When asked how she could have given up her family for her cause, she said, quietly, 'Some things are more important. I love my country more than anything.'
The world needs more Martin Luther King's. I realize that not all of us mortals are called to be saints.
But there are ways in which we can become more saint-like. Ms. Aung Suu Kyi has said, " The sweetest, the most precious of all, is the lesson I learned on the value of kindness. Kindness can change the world."
And persistence -- true saints may fall, but they pick themselves up and keep going. They never, never, ever give up.
I also have to ask myself if there is a consistency in my vision, and in what I choose to do in my everyday life? In Martin Luther King, I see the consistency of a man with a Divine purpose. He was seamless-- a divinely-called man, who lived every waking moment of his life in service to God's plan. He worked for peace, for justice, for love, for truth; and he was willing to die for these!
Any one of us can strive for Love, and can act persistently and consistently, according to God's Divine plan. And then, we just might be able to change the world!
[Related Postings: " Martin Luther King", January 17, 2011; " Remembering Martin Luther King", January 16, 2012. ]
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