SPRING FORTH NOW 2023

And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

John 12:45-50

On this day of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. we are reminded of the power of self-value and -worth that transcends the individual and their community to impact the world. The light of Dr. King shined so bright within and in his space that it could not help but scatter and shatter darkness far beyond him and the community of Black people, particularly African Americans than they could have ever asked or imagined. The power of self-value and -worth was seen in and through a movement that began with choosing not to fund their oppressors with consent and financial support for dehumanization. This movement spread because people believed in their own personal dignity, and the dignity of their community, and thus began a process, not of negative behavior but one in which they illuminated who they are, the Crown of His Glory not because someone told them or even targeted them that way but instead because they believed it in their heart. The belief fueled the necessary and appropriate actions that were not in opposition to anyone else’s dignity but instead promoted their own and inspired not just a community of chosen people but laid the groundwork for people to stand up and be, exist fully in what God intends for their life and life more abundantly. Dr. King and our ancestors determined in the midst of Jim Crow, mental and physical abuse that they mattered because they were chosen by God to be the Crown of His Glory and as a result, they let their light shine, transformed the dynamics of the world and inspired themselves, their community, and generations to come. They knew that God’s commandment was to live and deep in their heart they really believed that they would overcome, illuminate, inspire, and invite all to their Most Favored Status as God declared for and to their lives! HAPPY KING WEEKEND!