Today’s MKL Day, a “holiday” set aside to commemorate the legacy of a great man who challenged our national conscience.
A year ago Becky and I looked through the window from which a bullet fired in anger silenced a voice that changed a nation.
I wrote the words below for today’s post over at Bouncing Back. I’m re-posting them here because they contain an important challenge for those of us committed to following God-sized dreams.
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Becky went to a conference several years ago. I got a t-shirt.
She heard Congressman John Lewis speak. Lewis was a member of Martin Luther King’s inner circle and the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. He was on the motel balcony in Memphis when an assassin ended Dr. King’s life.
The t-shirt displays a simple slogan that summarized Lewis’ message:
GET IN THE WAY
John Lewis was beaten and jailed—multiple times—because he and millions of others, black and white, got in the way of unjust laws and policies. They refused to accept the status quo, but they also refused to fight back in anger.
When conventional wisdom says you have to stand up to the bully and bloody his nose, Dr. King and his followers advocated the path of Jesus. They said you can stand against injustice without resorting to violence.
Their method was simple: when you see wrong, get in the way. Sit where you’re not supposed to sit, whether it’s a bus or a lunch counter. Stand on the Birmingham Bridge.
It’s not instant. It’s not painless. It’s not without deep, profound sacrifice. But when you obstruct injustice—tenaciously, nonviolently, in large numbers, with love, it cannot prevail. There’s not enough anger to overcome the power of love.
Some wanted violent rebellion and called MLK’s followers cowards for refusing to fight back. It took enormous courage to stand firm for the principles in which they believed.
Their legacy challenges me each time I see that t-shirt in my closet.
It’s Monday. There’s injustice in my world, but I’m pretty comfortable. Getting in the way disrupts things.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.
When I perceive darkness, am I willing to shine a light?
Am I willing to get in the way?
Happy Birthday, Dr. King.
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