I Have A Dream

By Kelly Miyamura, Executive Coordinator for the Ko’olau Property

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV)

Every third Monday in January we pause to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the minister and activist who became the most visible leader in the civil rights movement. His faith served as a foundation for his passionate pursuit of justice and equality until 1968 when his life was tragically taken. When I asked my three children (ages 11, 10, and 7) for the words that first come to mind when they hear the name Martin Luther King, Jr., they responded with, “hope, peace, a man who wanted people to love one another despite what they looked like on the outside.” It is obvious that his memory and his influence runs deep, long after his life and across generations. 

As we pause today, a little over half a century has passed since his death, yet we find ourselves once again at the crossroads of a deeply divided and hurting nation. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 in front of a crowd of over 250,000 people, Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech still resonates in our hearts today. In it he quotes four passages of Scripture, most famously Isaiah 40: 4-5, when he said this to express his God-inspired dream for humanity:

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” 

He was an imperfect man who prophetically called us to speak up in the face of injustice, and to create a world fueled by love where all people would be treated equally and made free from oppression. My children see the impact he had on the world and I love being able to make the connection that his ideas and actions were rooted in scripture itself. That God values justice, yet shows loving mercy. That we must learn to humbly rely on the Lord for strength beyond our own while we navigate the challenges of this life. And that Jesus himself is our greatest example of this and our greatest hope.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the truth and timelessness of Your word. Thank You for sending us Your son, Jesus Christ to teach us how to live. Help us all to be peacemakers in this divided world, to love others as You would love them despite our differences. We pray for vision, faith, and more of Your loving and courageous spirit in the days ahead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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