Honor – high respect, great esteem. When we honor someone, we see great value in them. We hold some of their same values and want to share their legacy and keep it alive. Today, as we honor the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we honor his life, his values, and his dream to live together with equal civil and economic rights as well as a call to end racism.
As a civil rights activist and a pastor, Dr. King honored the legacy of Jesus. In John 15:12-13, Jesus called us to love others as he loves us. When I think about Dr. King’s passion for ending racism, I can’t help but think that the love of Jesus motivated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As I reflect left on how Jesus loves me and all of you, so much that he laid his life down for us, I ask myself the question, am I truly loving others the way Jesus did? If I’m being honest, I can say no. Am I trying? Yes. Can I try much harder and do so much better? Absolutely 1000% yes!
So today, and everyday, I will honor Dr. King’s legacy by continuously working towards ending racism. I will work on loving others the way Jesus loves, and I will continue these conversations with my children, family, and friends and others around me. As a woman of color, who has and still experiences racism, the work I commit to is a step in the right direction. The work I do is so others, who experience racism far greater than I ever have, will feel the love of Jesus, feel heard, protected, respected, and human.
Heartening Forward 