This week I wanted to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It took me a while to settle on the angle to take that would present something different from everything else that’s been said. As we celebrate his birthday today, we take time to reflect on his life, his work, his memory, and most importantly, his legacy. He left us a rich legacy that’s tough to match by anyone else in history.
My personal “Mount Rushmore” of the most inspirational and impactful leaders of all time would definitely include MLK, Abe Lincoln, and Nelson Mandela. The common thread is their fight for civil rights. Throughout the course of mankind, there have been violations of people’s basic rights in many ways and in many parts of the world. The narrative is always the same; one group hates another and does everything they possibly can to keep them suppressed and oppressed. Then a man OR woman rises up and devotes their life to the cause of bringing about change.
MLK was such a man. He died at the age of 39 having literally given his life for a cause that was much bigger than himself. At 39, he had finished his race and in his death joined the great cloud of witnesses to cheer on those he left behind. He reminds me of Christ, ours and his Lord and savior, in whom he found the strength and the conviction to endure and stand. He did not live to see his dream realized yet he left a legacy we can carry on.
It takes great courage to spearhead a movement that could cost you your life. It takes faith to believe in something that’s not here and could very well never happen. It takes great fortitude to live for something that could kill you. Yet men like these were willing to give it all for the sake of others.
While we enjoy the benefit of living in the fruit of his dream, I had to ask myself today, do we have any such men AND women today. Am I such a man? If I am such a man, what’s the cause worth fighting for? We’re no longer dealing with the same challenges he dealt with but we do have challenges. While I intend to live as long as I can and fight for the purposes of the Kingdom, do I have it in me to die for what I believe in? I like to throw out the thought and question; Do such men still exist or has our world become so laissez faire that we only fight for what’s best for us and keeps us alive?
I think the more peaceful society gets, the less grit we have and the less guts we have to take up causes and fight for the things we believe in. May we never be complacent but always vigilant to see injustices, immoral trends, and sinister schemes of the enemy be destroyed.
As I reflect on this historic day, immense gratitude to this man, who regarded his life as not his own and gave himself, in a Christ-like manner, for our sake, wells up in my heart. Christ calls us to love one another, showing our love in the greatest way by laying down our lives for others (John 15:13). Listen to a speech, visit a museum, post a quote, watch a movie, reflect on his legacy today. Tomorrow, it’s your turn, it’s our turn to fight for causes we believe in. Remember, your cause may simply be loving those around you a little more.
Nelson Masinde 