MLK Day: The Way of Love
Martin Luther King Jr. has always been a hero of mine, but I sometimes struggle with how we celebrate his holiday. Too often, MLK Day is filled with people and organizations using his image without truly embracing his message. It's sentimental instead of actionable, and it sometimes feels like we're saying, "Racism was solved today!" Just like we often soften the message of Jesus, we tend to water down the power of Dr. King's words. But there's no way to make MLK Day "politically correct" without completely missing the heart of his teachings about love.
““Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.” ”
Dr. King became an even greater inspiration during a college course where I delved deeper into his ideas. One of his quotes that stuck with me is: "What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn't earn enough to buy a...cup of coffee?" For Dr. King, love wasn't just a feeling—it was action. Loving someone means fighting against the systems that hold them back. His mission was to ensure everyone was treated with dignity and respect, recognizing the shared value of all people as image-bearers of God.
Inspired by Jesus' teachings, Dr. King stressed that Love is a de-centering act. It wasn't about ego or self-interest but about asking, ‘What can I give?’ He understood that genuinely loving our neighbors—and even our enemies—meant sacrificing our pride and sometimes our lives. This wasn't defeat but a commitment to creating a better world.
Dr. King's love wasn't just personal—it was deeply systemic. He saw racism as a symptom of a broken system. The lie of White supremacy, he recognized, was a crutch that both oppressed and oppressors relied on. In this system, anyone having to defend a lie to validate their self-worth proves that no one is benefitting. Love gave him the clarity to see that no one could thrive in a system built on division. Excluding even one person meant everyone was losing.
Dr. King taught that Love is generative.
From Love, we see actions that often create newness and opportunity.
Love is not contempt because there is no hierarchy, no competition, and no boast. Contempt considers the other as less than and lacking something.
But Love hopes for the best while appreciating what it can now.
Love listens.
Love fights the good fight.
Love is grace.
Love creates space.
Love forgives.
Love, to Martin Luther King, wasn't a sentimental statement but an essential command from Christ himself.
