Monday; January 18

On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King delivered an inspirational speech in Washington D. C. In what has been called his “I Have A Dream” Speech”, King laid out his vision for a free and united nation. After describing freedom, Dr. King noted, “And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: ‘Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.’” Through the years, I have thought a lot about this speech and am continually drawn to its imagery of children walking hand in hand in a free society. As I reflect on the speech almost sixty years later, I think our children have made advancements in unity, but I am not too sure about us big people.
I understand the context and purpose to this enduring speech, but if you would allow me a little latitude, I want to challenge us to add another layer to Dr. King’s vision – love. Freedom provides us with an equal playing field, but it is a genuine love for one another that will produce the unity in Dr. King’s dream. Interestingly, a decade before this speech, the United States of America adopted a revision to the Pledge of Allegiance that incorporated the words, “one Nation under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Do we really believe this is possible? Are we committed to making it happen? If so, our only hope comes through brotherly love. When Jesus called on His disciples to promote His movement He said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). The Great Teacher understood that if people wanted to be successful, we needed to be united and that unity came through treating people with care and respect.
This week, our nation stands at a crossroads. America can realize our dream through love or continue our nightmare through division and self-centeredness. The choice is ours.

Think About It!

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