Happy Martin Luther King Day!

When I think about that greeting, I can’t help but think about the price this man paid to have a day named after him.  With an easy googling “What does it take to have a Federal Holiday named after you?”, I found that it wasn’t such an easy thing to do.  Apparently, the notion of creating a Martin Luther King Day met with much controversary.  Two of the main arguments by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (MLK had never held public office).  Only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: George Washington and Christopher Columbus. But, President Ronald Reagan approved the creation of the holiday, signing it into existence on November 2, 1983. The first official Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, held the third Monday in January of each year, was held on January 20, 1986.

You’re welcome.  Now you know the answer to that question, too.

Unrelentless passion in pursuit of a dream is what men AND women like MLK are made of . . . and look what one life did to change HIS world. To think and speak on behalf of others is noteworthy, to serve and act on behalf of others is heroic, but what do we call someone who gave his words, actions and life on behalf of others? Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the few people in history who have so profoundly changed the world in such a short time. His visions and actions for social unity, racial brotherhood, true peace and social welfare were not only carefully thought and weighed, but also acted upon with strategic finesse.   MLK fought the good faith and kept the faith.

Lord, help us to love relentlessly and pursue the dream  you would have for us to invest our lives in — to make this world a better place for just having been here.   Thank you, MLK, for LOVING so profoundly.