A Man of Courage & Perseverence: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our Weekly Article of Encouragement Article 69 Volume 1

Around this time every year I think back to where I was back on April 4, 1968. I was sitting in my forth grade English class listening to Mrs. Brooks. There were about 25 of us kids in the class, just listening and trying not to get in any trouble by not paying attention. Back in those days you didn’t want to go to the principal’s office for nothing. As Mrs. Brooks started teaching there came over the classroom speakers (back then we had a speaker system that was used for school-wide announcements in each classroom) that announced:
“Good morning students. We hate to interrupt your class but this is an extremely important announcement. It has been reported by all news services that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been shot. No other details were given. Please say a little a silent prayer for Dr. King’s family.”

Being about eight years old at that time I didn’t understand the magnitude of what I just heard but I did hear that Dr. King was shot. I was hoping that he would be alright. As the news hit all of us kids, many of us began to cry because we knew a little about what Dr. King was during for everyone across the country in helping bring peace and harmony to all. Our teacher Mrs. Brooks started crying and was having a really hard time trying to hold her composure. But the tears were running down her face she couldn’t stop. Our class was interrupted for a few moments. After Mrs. Brooks gathered herself together, she stopped teaching English and began sharing and reflecting on what Dr. King was trying to do not only for us as a people but also for the entire human race.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

As the years have past and the remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King continues to live on, I am so thankful that we have a consistent role model of a truly remarkable man of God who had the courage and perseverance to fight to the very last breath of his life. He was a man that never gave in to compromise or indecency for the primary purpose of selfish gain. With all his influence he used it to not only fight against the powers of injustice but also to glorify God. He has been an inspiration to all people of all nationalities, races, creed and color everywhere. He persevered through some of the most difficult and demeaning challenges that could ever face us as human beings. And with God leading him he became victorious in all that he accomplished, even unto death.

As a man of God myself, I truly am encouraged and inspired by his tenacity and overwhelming desire to seek after the things of God no matter what the cost. Dr. King’s example strengthens to trust God and His Holy Spirit to persevere through all things because I know He is with me. God was, and is, with Dr. King through it all. And we should take note as men that if we stand together in unity, and realize that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength, we can impact our community and world to make the difference needed to change our situations and circumstances.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

We as men are challenged daily to become the leaders of our homes, our marriages and our families. We are even faced with that challenge on our jobs. But sometimes it get so stressful and pressing that we give up too quickly before we find out that we could stand through it and be victorious. I truly believe that God had set this example by the way He lived on earth. And Dr. King exemplified that character of Christ by submitting himself in obedience to the cause of Christ and for mankind to follow his lead as he followed Christ. This example has influenced me, as well as other men, to strive, and persevere through anything we go through in this life. We can’t allow the defeats of life to set our standards. Dr. King stated that the measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. All of us can stand tall when we are winning the battle, but where are we when times are rough and overwhelming, and there appears to be no answer in sight? Dr. King showed us through his life, as well as his words, that we too, as men, by the Spirit of God, we can rest in God’s grace and mercy through obedience.
Dr. King showed us that he couldn’t do what he was doing without some accountability surrounding him at all times. There were men speaking in and over his life for Godly wisdom and direction, watching out for him in the way, always abounding with instruction from wise counsel. We could learn a lot from this example. Having men of sustenance, men of integrity and sound Biblical doctrine for understanding will insure us of Godly favor and courage. Learning has always been a trait that Dr. King had emphasized over his life.

Life’s most persistent question is “What are you doing for others?”

I realize that there is so much more that can be said for a man like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. but his life serves as an example to all because of what Christ was doing in his. He was obedient to the cause of Christ. His diligence and courage defined him as he walked the battlefield of life without fear because he knew that the God he served would bring him through it all. No matter what matter of men would say or do his trust was always in the Holy One, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
Thank you Dr. King, for being the example for so many of us to embrace because of your courage, your heart to serve, your persistence in persevering, and your undeniable desire to follow Christ through it all, even unto death. May we learn from to trust God in all things as you have displayed with your life.