Hi friend,
Today most of us have the day off in honor of a person who chose to live out his faith for others, Martin Luther King Jr. On this day off we may hear some of his quotes, maybe we see a story or read an article or two about him. But do we pause to really think about this person who made a difference in so many people’s lives, and helped changed culture?
I invite you today to take a moment to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let’s choose to pause and reflect on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. We see a man of faith who had the courage to say and do things others didn’t, who experienced consequences for standing up for what was right, and whose life was lost living out love for others. His lived with purpose, living out Mark 12:30-31,
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."
May we take a moment to reflect on how MLK's life is an example of these two truths being lived out.
We live in a culture now that focuses on ease, comfort and there is a lot of messaging around taking care of ourselves. And yes, those things are nice yet is living that way truly our purpose here? I would say it isn't. Instead, I would say we are here to live a life of purpose and the two truths in that verse give us insight and wisdom to how to live purposefully; by loving God and loving others, as we would want to be loved. And yes, we need to care for ourselves and nourish ourselves, inside and out, yet may we do so so that we are fueled with love so that we can then be more outward facing, loving others throughout our days. (And please know, if you are in a season of healing, the person you may need to focusing on loving today is you, but also, even when healing, sometimes loving others helps heal us in ways we never expected - and I share that from my own experience.)
We were made to take care of ourselves but not to be self-focused. Let's choose to care for ourselves so that we are able to use the gifts and skills we have to love others well. We are to be a light in this dark world, as MLK was, and be willing to stand up for others. I don't mean it has to be on a national level like MLK did, but in the small day to day moments let's keep our eyes and ears open to see and hear where there are needs, where there is injustice, and be willing to be a voice, or act, when needed. And this doesn't mean we need to be everything to everyone. Our time with God often will help us discern what is ours to do, verses what is God's, and for others to do. Time with God will help direct how we love others well.
Living this way is not necessarily a life filled with comfort and ease but it is a life filled with purpose. And I personally want to live a purposeful life? You?
When I think about how purposeful MLK was, I am inspired to live with purpose and to leave a mark on others hearts, as he did. And even though we honor his life today, when we step closer, we see that the mark he left wasn't really about him. But we see that he was a man of faith living out his faith. He was a vessel of God's love day by day, and he lived out the two truths in that verse well.
So as we step into our week, may we meditate on Mark 12:30-31 as a reminder of our greater purpose, to love God and love others well. Let's choose to live out these principles so that when someone hears our story, it isn't about us. But that others come to see God as the foundation of our story, like we do with Martin Luther King, Jr.
With love and hope,
Shawn