I Have a Dream

Today in the United States, we are observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Forty-five years ago this African American clergyman and civil rights activist stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and galvanized 250,000 listeners with his "I Have a Dream" speech. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was undertaken to put more pressure on the administration and the legislature to advance civil rights measures. Not only did it accomplish that, but it has also informed and inspired and challenged generations since then.

A part of King's dream was his desire for a future where "Negroes" and "whites" would live harmoniously as equals. He may have had just a glimpse of how big his dream really was when he shouted, "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!' What King could not foresee, even in his "dream," was that his call to equality would affect a great many marginalized people: women, children, the disabled, religious and political groups, the elderly and others.

Why are we so quick to extinguish our dreams? Why are we afraid to imagine what we could do or become as God enables us? What if Abraham and Sarah had given up on their dream of having a son? Yes, he was dubious and she laughed at the idea, but they also took the appropriate action to produce a baby! What if Peter and Andrew and James and John had not dreamed of something greater than catching fish? Yes, the idea of a kingdom that would throw off Roman rule held their attention, but still they actually did leave everything behind to follow Jesus' call. What if Jim Elliott and his buddies had not dreamed they could reach a people with the Gospel? What if Brother Andrew had not dreamed of a way to get Bibles to the underground church in communist countries during the cold war? What if your mentor or spiritual leader had not dreamed that he/she could make a difference in someone's life?

God often uses our human yearnings to further His plan. A sanctified imagination is a tool He can use to accomplish wonderful things. This doesn't happen in some magical way in a land "somewhere over the rainbow . . . [where] the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true," as Judy Garland sings in The Wizard of Oz. This happens here, in real life. Just look at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream!

Don't be afraid. Go ahead! Dream your dream!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com