Reflections on MLK Day
As a child, I loved Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But my only motivation was because we got a day off of school. That was an extra 8 hours to sit at home, but none of those extra hours were spent reflecting on the significance of this day. I can excuse that away because children are naive, and arguably self absorbed.
But now we are adults. We have hopefully learned that the world doesn't revolve around us. We have hopefully been awakened to some responsibility.
You see the thing about majority privilege is that we get the option of acknowledging this day… or not. We can choose to reflect on the cause that was hard fought for, the cause that Martin Luther King embodied. The reality of our fellow brothers and sisters… or not.
The thing about majority privilege is that we can choose to engage. And if we don’t, we go about our days relatively unaffected by the struggles of our fellow humans.
It is a privilege that others do not have.
Many of our neighbors walk around carrying the label “minority” and that is one of the kinder ways of saying it. They do not get to disengage from the cause because to them it is more than just a banner. It is a reality that they live in day to day.
It is sad that the term “minority” has subtle negative connotations. Because diversity is such a beautiful, God honoring gift. Diversity helps us to love more fully, and see God more clearly. The things that make us diverse should be cherished and celebrated. Not oppressed.
Privilege comes with responsibility. It comes with a responsibility to steward it well. Our responsibility is to fight the apathy that comes with the comfort of majority. To turn from the temptation to hide behind the familiar.
In my love of words, I have a tendency to make them many. But today I acknowledge that I know little about these things that are so real to my fellow human beings. So I will let my words be few out of respect for those who experience hardships I do not. But words I do have, I want to use to remind those around me.
Instead of disengaging today, I encourage you to lean in. To dwell on the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. To see his mission, and acknowledge those who are still fighting the fight that he carried out.
I encourage you to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters. Pray for healing. Pray for justice. Pray for reconciliation.
Pray for yourself to be convicted. Seek repentance where necessary. To have eyes to see our brothers and sisters as fellow image bearers of Christ.
And take time today to celebrate God’s creation. To empower those around us that don’t look the same. To rejoice in God’s heart to bring unity and justice… if not fully on this earth, then one day in Heaven.
Let us take a few minutes in our day to ask that God show us how we can fight alongside our brothers and sisters. They are to be seen acknowledged and cherished. They are a gift.
