“The question is not whether or not we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be….the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists” -Martin Luther King Jr.
Here & Now: Continuing the Mission of Freedom
“The question is not whether or not we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be….the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists” -Martin Luther King Jr.
To many in our country, it must have seemed Martin Luther King Jr had some absolutely extreme ideas. The ways that he went about fighting for justice were countercultural in so many ways. I believe that Dr. King had the beautiful gift of being able to see a nation for what it could become, and not for what it was. He was a creative extremist.
Last night I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC. The night was clear and cold, a full moon hung in the sky above the waters at the Memorial, and it was so calm it was almost unnerving.
As we stood at the base of the memorial and listened to the park ranger talk about the significance of the sculpture, I couldn’t help but be moved. You want to talk about a man who led our country in the fight for justice, for freedom, and for equality? Dr. King was that man.
The sculpture is made of stone and stands 30 feet tall. Dr. King is sculpted as coming out of the giant piece of stone he is carved in, signifying his break from the mountain of injustice. While that alone is awe-inspiring, what I heard next was something that cut straight to my heart, and will stick with me for the rest of my life.
“His legs are not finished in the sculpture, because there are people on this earth, here and now, who were meant to carry on his work, to be his legs and to continue his mission of freedom”. As the park ranger spoke I was struck by the magnitude of this concept. There are 27 million people in slavery today, and there are some of us on this earth that will get to play a role in walking out what Dr. King saw in this world – freedom. Those of us who rise up and say that we will not allow young girls to be raped day in and day out, those of us who refuse to stay silent. Those of us who do not believe that any life is too small or insignificant. There are people on this earth today who have determined in our hearts that hope will rise, mourning will be turned to dancing, and that the slaves will be set free.
Today, can we decide that we will join in the movement to set captives free? Can we determine that no matter what it costs us; financially, emotionally, or physically, that we will make every effort to see our world the way Dr. King saw it? See a world full of hope, bursting with life, and overwhelmingly free for all?
I know that it’s extreme to see a world transformed by love, but by making a conscious decision to face the devastating reality of trafficking with eyes full of hope we can begin to embrace the mission of Dr. King, and to actively begin to change our world.
