On the third Monday of every year our nation celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Across our land people in many cities, including my home town (Selma, Al.), will gather in remembrance of a man whose ideological stance was grounded in Biblical principal. People will tell their stories of how one man made things possible that might not have happened. How has your life been affected?
After graduating from college I took a job which required me to relocate from Alabama to Sumter, S.C. Not exactly the place a single person in his early 20’s desired at that time. I was a stranger in a new town who knew no one. I was all alone. One night while traveling down a dark country road the water pump on my car went out. The pre-cell phone era was a dark time but that didn’t really matter. Remembering some houses back up the road I drove my car to one and asked if they would be kind enough to call me a tow truck. What happened next took me by surprise. A young man walked with me back to my car and cared enough to stay until the tow truck came. Most notable about this young man were his physical features. One arm with his hand curled inwards took away the attention from legs of different sizes until he walked. I was an athlete in good shape who took much for granted. We engaged in some wonderful conversation that night. The tow truck came and I haven’t seen him since.
Did I happen to mention that he was also African-American? This young man did not care about my skin color or athletic ability. He looked beyond his own limitations by caring for my immediate needs. Isn’t this the message that Dr. King was trying to get across? Physical appearances, ethnic origins, or even gender are not signs of higher importance. Such features identify us as individuals not our net worth. In Jesus the Christ we are all one. Only we get in the way of God’s intended purpose for creation. In other words we are all God’s children. I learned a lot that night. God’s love reaches all people through all people.
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