It was unusually quiet when I went for an early morning walk. I was reminded that it was a holiday – the day we honor Martin Luther King Jr. Yesterday I heard a reporter talk about him and it started me thinking. The reported commented that Martin Luther King Jr. was a prophet – even ironically predicting his own death. I listened to a part of the last speech he made and sure enough, he said that he had been to the mountain top and that he didn’t think that he would be living a long life, but that he was not worried or afraid of that. He was shot and killed the following day. Today I listened to more of his speeches, read more of his quotes, and realized what a peaceful, faithful, courageous man he was. I can understand why so many people followed him. And unfortunately, that leads others to fear and/or hatred. His dream wasn’t just for the American people, it was for the world. I thought about how things have changed since his life ended. While it is certain that in some ways our world is smaller and more “tolerant”, in other ways we continue to battle the same racial and human rights issues we did 50 years ago. I know we are a slow people to change, but when I think about it, it is hard to understand why people can’t just treat each other with kindness and respect. Later this evening, I saw a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter giving a speech today. She very much resembled her father. I think she summed it up pretty well when she said that if her father was here, he would be asking, “What is taking so long?”

I Found God today in pondering the influence that Martin Luther King Jr. had on our world.