How Do You Celebrate MLK Day?

Who was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and why does he have a national holiday in his honor?

Most people will scoff at that question and say,

“He’s the guy that gave the ‘I Have A Dream Speech.'”

Yes he did.

Why is that important?

“It’s important because a lot of people attended.”

Yes. A lot of people did attend.

But groups are wrong all the time, so why does that matter?

“Because it shows a lot of people wanted to hear what he had to say.”

Yes.

A lot of “make love, not war” people in the 60’s were interested in what he had to say.

They were all high as kites so why does that apply to me today?

“Because there was segregation. Blacks were beaten by whites and the police just for being black and people took a stand against these wrongs.”

Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere.

So 50+ years ago segregation was the law of the land and now it isn’t, so why does Martin Luther King, Jr matter today?

“What the what? MLK was a great leader, a peaceful leader, a God-fearing man, an inspirational voice fighting a government that was too-powerful and oppressive and he was killed for shedding light on the truth.”

Finally we’re getting down to the heart of the matter.

So how do you celebrate and commemorate the memory of this great leader? Maybe you

• Take a day off.

• Sleep in.

• Attend a march or rally.

• Have a BBQ and get drunk. 

• Yell at people on Facebook.

• Go to church.

More importantly, how do you emulate him and further his cause the other 364 days of the year? 

Like growing a business, losing weight, or training for a marathon, improving race relations and learning to love as Jesus loved—and as MLK, Jr loved—takes time.

It takes consistent actions over time. 

It takes determination to stay the course despite the setbacks that will always come your way.

It takes a partner / team who believes in you. (Is it any wonder Jesus had John lead the way to announce His coming then immediately chose 12 [11?] believers and advised them to go out in pairs?)

MLK, Jr was before my time but his words, his actions, and his message are timeless.

Every January 15th (his birthday) and/or on the 3rd Monday of January, take a moment to reflect on how well you did in preaching the Good News and living the dream in not only your social media posts, but in your daily actions in the previous year, then recommit to doing a better job in the coming year. 

Good Selling,