He was born in 1929--in this very day. He was the son and grandson of Baptist preachers. He wasn't perfect, none of us are. But he changed the world for the better. He made a mark. And so we celebrate his life and legacy each and every year. He was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As King stepped up his involvement in the Civil Rights movement, he became a target for verbal and physical attacks. One night, after receiving an especially vicious threat, King fell down on his knees and carried his concern to God. "I am here," he prayed, "taking a stand for what I believe is right. But know I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I've come to the point where I can't face it alone."
King's prayer for courage and strength was answered as he heard an inner voice. "Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be by your side forever." (A Testament of Hope, 509) And stand up he did. And in the years that followed, he continued to have the fortitude he needed as he took on risk after risk.
King helped right many fo the wrongs we faced as a nation. But there are still those who are oppressed. there are still those who are hungry. There are still those who have no place to lay their heads at night. The work Dr. King and others undertook in the fifties and sixties has not been completed. The question we must all ask ourselves on this day, is how will we participate in the ongoing how are we being called on to stand up for the truth?
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