Sacrificial Leadership

I ask myself, how did Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. do it? Before he began his leadership role in a vocally racist time he had to know that he would eventually be killed. I assume he definitely came to grips with that before starting, or at least the heightened risk of it. Shortly before he was murdered he actually hinted at knowing his time was about to come. That was right before he gave his “I Have A Dream” sermon/proclamation that’s so famous today. He said, "I might not get there with you..." It sounds to me like he knew the threats against his leadership were growing stronger.

Now, 50+ years have passed, but Dr. King's message is still very much needed in this nation and across the globe. In times like these when it’s so easy to be divided on how to bring the mission of justice and equality to a realization, how do we become like the man who led a nation out of so much public, blatant evil with such measures of peace amidst the anger and hatred? Those times were even more racially charged than our times, yet, he was such an amazing leader that he was able to bring his change with his voice; tons of people rallied behind that man's voice. People were organized around him and followed him because, like MLK, people wanted to do God’s will, and Dr. King spoke to that truth about what God’s will actually is — equality and justice. So, if Dr. King could do it, WE CAN DO IT too. That’s what he inspired people to believe in, and that's the faith that took Dr. King so far. It was the faith that: “We’ll get to the mountaintop together! I know it! Follow me, even if I don’t get there with you because together you will get there. You don't need me. You need each other and God.” That's what I get out of his message, anyway.

If you study the life of Martin Luther King Jr., which I will not claim to be an expert on, but what I’ve gleaned from his life is that he had a very clear and focused mission. For his time, his mission was for black Americans to be both simply accepted as human beings made in God’s image and to also have opportunities for them that are completely equal with white Americans. It’s appalling that such a thing even had to happen on American soil, but the message of “I’m a human being as much as you” needed to be spread. Dr. King was able to put a major dent in the universe with his dream, and we’re left to use that dent he made to take us even further than he helped lead our nation towards.

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Dr. King was amazing at being very, very focused on how to make his “Dream” become a reality. He was like Steve Jobs with his Apple obsession, only Reverend King was focused on racial and societal justice. Though, again, both of them show us that focus on a vision is the only way major change happens. For MLK it wasn’t about likes on social media because that didn’t even exist. It wasn’t about trying to stoke up division either, but it was about real results of making sure that all lives are taken care of by making sure the black lives oppressed in this nation could be set free from the racial injustices against them. He literally had to make an entire nation change their minds on his own, using only his voice. He believed with all of his heart that people can change if they are given the truth. So, he spoke it. He shouted it from the rooftops and capital buildings of the USA so that as many people as possible could hear!

So, what was Dr. King’s truth? I mean, it is of the utmost important to truly understand his truth in order to understand how he became the legend he is today. His truth is what made him such a powerful force of wisdom and change that gave us the racial and equality advancements we enjoy today in such a short time. Life is never going to be perfect on this side of heaven, which is why leadership is so important for society to help lead it down good paths in the face of evil. This is why studying leadership is so important. 

For Reverend King, his truth, I believe, came from his conviction that we are all children of God and need to be treated equally with that respect. It’s why he made sure his rallies were peaceful — victory in war by peace. By “made sure”, I mean that he was organized and vocally advocated for peace. He made sure that he was a peacemaker between all races, colors, and creeds. That, he knew, was the only way change would happen when you’re a minority — outnumbered in a vocally racist time. Think about about how intimidating that had to be, but that is the cost of leadership — standing against intimidating circumstances so that others are strengthened to do the same. For Reverend King, his truth was God, more specifically, Jesus, which is why he was a Christian reverend. He wanted a nation founded on the Christian notion that all men and women were created equally in the image of God; though, he wanted society to truly awaken to what that means in reality, not just in ideas.

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So, where do we start? I don’t have all the answers, even though I will always try to have as many as I can and right the areas where I’ve been previously wrong, and I hope this ARTicle is a start toward that movement. Change happens one person at a time, one community at a time, one day at a time, one brave action at a time. You might think you have no voice, no power to influence change, but I’m sure Reverend King and many other leaders felt the exact same way at times until they simply gave up on and no longer put faith in doubt. Huge mountains always stand in our face, and we all need a good dream to help us move mountains in our own lives, families, and nations.

Will it be easy? No. Will there be pushback? Yes. Will you be wrong at times? Sadly, yes. I wish I could say no, but it’s best to get used to making mistakes or else you’ll always quit on things instead of climbing the mountain to victory. We have to get the vision that takes us as far as we can possibly go all the way up to the mountaintop. We all need a dream and leadership qualities, no matter who we are, because we all have challenges to face. “I have a dream!” Now, what are you willing to sacrifice for it? After all, it will require sacrifice.