By Joi Odom Grant
Just last week we observed the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of character and great accomplishments.
An American hero for the world to see: There have been many conversations about Ava DuVernay’s movie Selma, which depicts one of the pivotal moments in the Civil Rights era and highlights the epic march from Selma to Montgomery. Dr. King was a great man in many corners of the world. So actually, what did the world see?
Some saw a man with many gifts and talents; others saw a man with a dream and a man with a vision. There were those who saw a man with a sense of urgency as well as a kind and pleasant man, and there were those who saw a man who feared the Lord.
Dr. King’s civil rights victories and speeches in the United States were inspiration for those who were involved in racial injustice here and abroad. By 1964 the United Nations’ membership had doubled from its 1945 levels. Almost 75 percent of these new members were from developing countries that were committed to combating racial injustice based on the struggles of Dr. King in the U.S. and the racial persecution in South Africa.
Let’s make it a conversation.
What did family see?
As we look into our own lives what does our world see?
I’m talking about our jobs, coworkers, neighbors, community, our places of worship or even our own social organizations. But what does your family actually see?
Are you with me? Does your family say,…. “We don’t see much of you, everyone else gets your best, we get what’s left over?” Is it fair that the thing that should matter most is the least we give attention to – is it career versus family,
world versus wife or entertainment versus children?
We often get caught up in our own professional careers and not realize that the people closest to us need us also and, at times, most. Should we then reevaluate our life’s focus but without short changing God’s gift to us, “our talents”, how do we balance both or all three?
Let’s make it a conversation.
We have to be in the plan if we want our legacy to appreciate or value our gift that God has given us!
If we are away from our spouses or children, the legacy we truly live may be lost within our next generation.
Follow Joi Odom Grant at Jog_urban.