‘He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly» (Proverbs 2:7).
PERSEVERANCE
I walked slowly toward the staircases. There was the historic National Mall. In front of me the Lincoln Monument stood upright, built according to the Greco-Roman style. The former US president looked serene and in command of the situation, sitting there, as if he were watching the certain advance of North America. Then, in front of me a splendid scene unfolded: The artificial lake seemed as if draped by a natural green carpet, submissive to the Washing Monument, known by a huge white obelisk surrounded by American flags; in the background I could see the brightness of the marble of the Capitol dome. Suddenly, I noticed some letters carved on the slab where I was standing:
I HAVE A DREAM
MARTIN LUTHER KING
AUGUST 28, 1963
Yes, I was standing right on the site where Martin Luther King (1929-1968) uttered one of the most impactful speeches in history, at the beginning of the turbulent 1960s. The message shook the American society and led to major changes in favor of African-Americans. The courageous pastor brought to light to the people of the United States their indifferent and discriminatory attitude toward an important sector of the population. He also urged his race not to react violently or to look at whites as the enemy. He ended with poignant phrases such as the following: «l have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ … I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.»
His fight for the rights of African-Americans, peace in the world, and better working conditions led him to be a central figure of a nation that had positioned itself as the main powerhouse of the planet. After nearly a decade of constant efforts to sensitize American society about the need to change their attitudes toward their peers, Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. But his legacy has not been erased from the minds of millions of people. Thanks to his fight, today we live in a better world.
Do not surrender when your dreams don’t seem to be fulfilled. Don’t give up! For those who are upright, there exists the power of hope, a blessed help from heaven when everything seems to go against us.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Youth 2020
«A New You»
From: Alejandro Medina Villareal
Collaborators: Gezer Noria & Misael Morillo
