Black His-Story (MLK Day Tribute)

Black History, or Black His-Story as Gil Scot Heron put it.

"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving."

 

Father, I pray for my pen today that I will never forget the love shared through Dr. Martin Luther King and many others like him. Though he sacrificed much, he will always be remembered. Though imperfect, he was a man who gleaned from the greatest sacrifice ever in the Lamb, who was slain and born again for the sake of humankind. That was his message. That was the language he spoke, and it is my intention, as well as the purpose of many others, to continue this message today: the good news of the simple gospel. I believe the civil rights movement was a prime example of the unifying power of the simple gospel. As I write these words, I must let go of the prose that says your life is better concerning expectancy if I “start early.” I think at times that I would have been “better off” had I “started earlier” or “believed in my pen earlier.” I feel the weight of the emphasis on age goals within American society and, quite possibly, the world’s culture. We, humans, tend to try to overrule the pace of God and come up with our image of what success looks like and the timeframe in which it should exist.

But no,

I thank God for creating us to take one step at a time. That one step consistently equates to a more solidified success in the long run, for no man can continuously sprint to the finish line. Everyone slows down at some point in the race, even if you’ve trained yourself to dash longer than most. The fact is that we were made for the marathon, not the sprint. We were made to experience moments with God, not the fake, romanticized, idealistic, spine-chilling moments that come occasionally. We were made for moments.

We were made to take small steps. Sometimes, we can make larger-than-life steps, but success is in the details. This is the essence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life: He took small steps consistently. As we reminisce over his life, what we see in his success is a series of micro-steps throughout his time that culminated into larger-than-life progress that spurs on to this day. The exciting thing is that we all have this same capability. Not necessarily to be a civil rights activist but to live up to the most authentic success that could only be found in our calling in Jesus Christ.

 

I write these words intending to speak from a place of vulnerability. I’m no longer interested in the giant steps. I’m interested in the small ones. Instead of setting in my mind to go to the gym every day and feeling like a failure if I don’t walk in the double doors on a given day, I’m counting the workouts at home as a success. Instead of beating myself up over the amount of time I’m not spending with my son, I celebrate the moments I spend, giving them a more excellent value and encouraging more “small steps.”

 

If you haven’t noticed by now, the one lesson I’m taking from the life of Martin Luther King Jr. today is one of the small steps. This is one of the secrets to his success and others like him. It was His commitment to the slow process of change that can only be solidified by His relationship with Jesus. That’s where the actual difference can be found.

 

I do not intend to make money or receive views/ likes as I write. Instead, I am writing to communicate a message to just one person who needs it, and that message is one of love, truth, healing, and hope because of God, for the people, and for our journey.

 

Keep writing.