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Three things I admire about Martin Luther King Jr.
by M.L. Stewman
In celebrating Martin Luther King day, I thought it only fitting to pay respects to a man I consider a hero of our nation. Martin Luther King, Jr. showed momentous courage and strength while leading a movement that changed the United States forever. In looking through the story of his life, I do not find the story of a perfect man. However, I discovered a man who understood his calling and courageously gave himself over to it. There are many things I could say about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. but that would be too long of a list for this venue. Thus, I offer a list of three things I admire about Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was courageous
Taking on the seemingly insurmountable task obtain equal rights in the 50’s and 60’s was no small thing. Needless to say there were many in opposition to this. There were many who wanted things to stay exactly the way they were. Many proponents of change were beaten, imprisoned, lynched, and killed. In the face of a long history of overt violence and racism, Dr. King led the movement both peacefully and courageously. People threatened to kill him and his family and he was even stabbed by a woman in 1958 during a book signing. Listen to his account of the incident from his Mountaintop speech:
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, “Are you Martin Luther King?” And I was looking down writing, and I said, “Yes.” And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, your drowned in your own blood — that’s the end of you.(www.Americanrhetoric.com)
This happened before many of the tide-turning marches and protests. That would have been enough to cause many people to quit yet after healing up Dr. King pressed on.
Even in the face of imminent danger, he led the people through vicious dog attacks, full force blast of water from fire hoses, beatings and arrests.
And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we’d go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we’d just go on singing “Over my head I see freedom in the air.” And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, “Take ’em off,” and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, “We Shall Overcome.” And every now and then we’d get in jail, and we’d see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn’t adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a peacemaker
04 Sep 1958, Montgomery, Alabama, USA — Police officers O.M. Strickland and J.V. Johnson apply force in arresting the Reverend Martin Luther King for loitering near a courtroom where one of his integration lieutenants was on the stand. King charged he was beaten and choked by the arresting officers. Police denied the charges. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
I know Dr. King was known for leading nonviolent protests and marches, but I am often amazed by his unwavering commitment to it. He states,
We aren’t going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don’t know what to do. I’ve seen them so often… And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around.” (Americanrhetoric.com)
In 1956 the house where he and his young family was bombed. He was not there but his wife and children were. When he received news of this happening he rushed home to find that the front of his house was destroyed but thankfully, his wife and kids were not harmed. A group of angry men came to the scene to protect him and his family and this was Dr. King’s response,
“If you have weapons, take them home. If you do not have them, please do not seek them. We cannot solve this problem through violence. We must meet violence with non-violence. Love your enemies; bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. Remember this movement will not stop, because God is with it. (www.Americanrhetoric.com)
After speaking these words the crowd went home. What a testament to the power of words and to his commitment to peace. This begs the question, we spend so much time trying to defend ourselves and our families but how much time to we spend making peace?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of great faith
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (L) preaching in his church. (Photo by Donald Uhrbrock//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)
We all know him as the civil rights activist and as a great orator but it is important to remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. was first a man who obtained much if not all of his foundation and training in the church and seminary. He went into the ministry at the age of 18 and became pastor of a church by the time he was 25 years old. In his own words,
Before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the Gospel. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry. I have no other ambitions in life but to achieve excellence in the Christian ministry. I don’t plan to run for any political office. I don’t plan to do anything but remain a preacher. And what I’m doing in this struggle, along with many others, grows out of my feeling that the preacher must be concerned about the whole man.(The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. Why Jesus Called A Man A Fool. Delivered at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, on 27 August 1967.)
He is know for writing several in depth sermons and several of his speeches were given in churches as sermons including the Mountaintop speech (given in the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis, TN). One does not have to look very far into the life and history of Martin Luther King Jr. to see that he lived his life with God at the center. Rest assured this is no attempt to deify the man. He was not with out fault I am sure. However, I admire his commitment to his faith and to God through all phases of his very public ministry.
These are just a few things I admire about Dr. King. While his time on earth was cut short we made such a significant impact on everyone around him. May we all walk in the calling and purpose God has for each one of us.
For more information about Martin Luther King Jr. click the links below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/
http://thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king
