Martin Luther King Jr.: Reflections

Good morning, afternoon, evening, or midnight to you, dear reader. Last Monday was the 18th of January and for most of us in Nigeria, a normal day like any other, but for our brothers and sisters in diaspora, they sat at home, relieved from work and school because of a national holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day or MLK Day.

image from Pinterest

Now if you're like me, you probably saw some posts about MLK Jr. and his great efforts especially with the Civil rights movement in America. You probably liked, commented, and maybe even shared or retweeted some of them. And that's great. The person being celebrated was an advocate of peace and justice.

This was my second time celebrating MLK day in the US but this time felt different. After a long 2020 and an already hectic January 2021, it seemed weird in a way to be celebrating someone who contributed so much to American politics. Not because of the person but because of the current situation. There was currently a sitting President who was claiming election fraud, whose supporters had just stormed the Capitol, an important symbol of American democracy. And now this holiday comes two days before the inauguration of a new President with the losing incumbent still claiming election fraud. In one of the most divisive times in American history, this day had been, as with tradition, set aside for the reflection on and celebration of the achievements of this patriot.

Like any other person, I appreciated the day off because I was not even ready to attend school but also it gave me time to really reflect on the person of Martin. No matter who was posting, different people, organisations, and media had something good to say about him. Even gun rights activists found a way to "connect" with the ideologies of the Civil rights leader.

As a Christian, one thing that stood to me about Martin was his faith. He was a Reverend of a Baptist Church so that means he knew the Lord, he was a Christian. Yet he was so heavily involved in what many Christians today would call "politics" that it was hard to believe. When I first learned about MLK in secondary school, I was introduced to his Civil rights campaign. He was a person who stood for peace, freedom, equality, justice, and all that good stuff. It was only after a while when I decided to search him up on Google that I realized that he was a staunch Christian. This completely changed my mindset. Growing up, especially in Nigeria where today Christians believe that it is almost unholy to be too involved in politics, government, or any form of activism, there was always this tension between speaking up for what was right and staying "Holy".

It was almost like you had to choose one. At this time, I wasn't as mature in the faith as I am now but seeing Martin's legacy sparked something. It meant that one could love both God and country. Whaaatt? God could even use you to make an impact in your country's governance? Whaaatt? Unfortunately, many believers are still stuck in this wrong way of thinking.

Today, faith and governance are something people are realizing is important for any people to build a successful country. In the bible, there are so many examples of God placing people in strategic positions of government so that he could use them to save his people. From Joseph to David to Nehemiah. Joseph was elevated from slave boy to housemaster, to Pharaoh's right-hand man. David? From Shepherd to king's musician to King. Nehemiah from servant to governor. It is a constant trend in the bible for God to be concerned about the leadership of his people. In fact, he was so concerned that they may not choose the right people that he raised prophets who would anoint people who God's Spirit who then fall on. It was that important for his leaders to be filled with the Spirit and directed by Him.

In today's world, it's almost a complete 180. It's almost as if believers, who are filled with the Holy Spirit are afraid of leadership. They would rather shy away from big responsibilities to serve in a position that is deemed less troublesome or controversial. And even though many people are called to such positions, it is quite obvious that not everyone is called to them. It is obvious in the decay of society, it is obvious in the decay of our moral values.

Many believers like to point out that in the last days, there will be a falling away but sometimes I believe that this is just an excuse that gets them out of this discussion. They are almost too eager to mention the falling away as if it is enough reason to give up, to turn their backs and close the page when our Father is the complete opposite. Ever patient for the sinner, ever-faithful.

Like our co-heir, Jesus, even though we are not of this world, we are called to be a light in this world. To challenge darkness where we see it.

Think of light bulbs. Have you noticed that they are always put high up in a room? That is because from there, their light can reach everywhere. A bulb that is kept behind a cupboard will still shine but sooner or later will have to be moved up for proper light. If not, another bulb will need to be installed much higher to provide enough light. That is the way I see the church. We are the light and we are supposed to be on top: in finances, in marriage, in relationships, in government, etc. But it seems whenever God moves us up, we either go off so that we blend in or we move down so we don't "disturb" the scene. Some of us don't even move at all.

This concerns me because the effect is a body of Christ that needs to go to a particular place to find God. It's like the bulb behind the cupboard, if you wanted to read in that room, you would need to go close to the cupboard to see anything instead of just sitting anywhere and receiving light. This is the problem today. The glory of God should be present in the whole world not just in the church or at conferences, it should be felt at schools, in the marketplace, in government. God has given us that light and that power and it should be felt everywhere.

Yesterday as I pondered over MLK's achievement, I realized that the only reason his achievements were that awesome was because God was with him in his journey. That's the way things are. When God anoints a person for a mission, things start to work in their favor, even in what seems like a secular setting. Look at Daniel. Even when surrounded by other princes and gods, when he focused on God and God alone, he rose in the ranks accomplishing what God called him to do. His friends, who consecrated themselves survived a fiery furnace that killed the guards who threw them in.

As I reflected on this, and my role in my country, Nigeria, I became even more convinced that you don't have to be a pastor or a gospel artist or musician before God can use you. Even the pastor MLK was called into a civil rights movement. Who are we to dictate what God can accomplish with his creation? This is why sometimes it is sad when God has to use people that are not even Christians to accomplish his goals because his children have become too religious or are too scared.

So I will end with this.

We are God's hands and feet in this world. We are the light of the world. Because the world is passing does not mean that it has passed. This should only intensify our efforts, a darker room requires brighter light not dimmer ones.

It is my wish that my fellow Christians would reflect on this. I feel that we have for too long put our God in a box. When we say, "Use us Lord" we must remember that God chooses the mission. The bulb will not say "Ah, they put me in the toilet instead of the living room so I will not shine, it still shines all the same."

If we want Nigeria to be better in all areas, we must completely surrender ourselves to God and allow Him to use us in any area he wishes.

Thank you for reading. May God use you as a light in the midst of darkness.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay blessed.

Kamikun✌🏽