Honor MLK By Voting

MLK Day! I remember the battle leading up to 1983 when Congress passed the legislation that made the third Monday of January a federal holiday recognizing the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You may be surprised to find out that back then I was not 100% on board with the move to make this a holiday. I was young and impressionable, buying into something someone said about Dr. King not wanting a holiday because it would mean a day when young children of color were missing out on their education. I’ve changed my mind since then, recognizing that it’s not about if he would want a holiday. It’s about him deserving a holiday and deserving the recognition and honor he earned as one of the leaders of the civil rights movement.

Since January 20, 1986, the very first MLK national holiday, the third Monday in January has become known in many parts of the country as a day of service. It is a day when communities can come together and when the individual can serve his/her neighbor: a day when we hopefully make our towns a little bit better. I think this is something that would make Dr. King smile. However, after the day of service I believe there is something else each of us needs to do: become an informed voter and then cast your ballot.

When watching the news I keep hearing about laws that have passed and attempts to pass other laws which in one way shape or form are designed to control how we each cast our ballots in future elections. I’m not here to take sides or to judge these various laws. I am here to say get out and vote no matter what. Make up your mind right now that no restriction will keep you from voting. No matter your race or your political leanings, become informed about the candidates and the issues. Then, go out and exercise your Constitutional right. When you do so you will help make this a better nation and you will honor MLK by making sure that his work, when it comes to the right to vote, was not done in vain.

Yes, But Wait

It has been a few months since I received my diabetes diagnosis. Since then I have heard the word “No!” more often than I expected. Quite often I’ve heard it from my family who gently and lovingly remind me that my diet must change. At times it has also come from my church family, all of whom have my best interest at heart. I’ve also heard myself saying it. For example, I’ve had to tell myself “No!” when I feel the urge to eat seven or ten cookies. The most disappointing “No!” came from my health insurance provider who declined a request for a constant glucose monitor. Among the long list of reasons was something about me not demonstrating an understanding of the need to take glucose readings. (Why else would I want a constant glucose monitor?) But there is One who has not said “No.” Instead, He said “Yes, but you have to wait.”

I received this in answer to my first response after receiving my diagnosis. Okay, maybe it was my second response. My first response was asking myself how I could be so stupid. (For the record diabetes has nothing to do with intelligence.) My second response was to ask God for healing. I even wrote about my healing in my post “All Things Work for the Good: Even Diabetes.” I was ready for a quick turn around, looking forward to that day when I could brag about being healed. But then I “heard” God’s answer. It was not anything audible but God found a way to make His answer clear. As I said in the first paragraph, that answer was, “Yes, but you have to wait.”

In the meantime God wants me to learn to trust in Him as He helps me live in victory over the diagnosis. That’s a little different than being completely healed. It’s a recognition that I am a diabetic but I am not a slave to my condition. God’s grace is sufficient and by His grace I have access to His wisdom when it comes to how I should live. By His grace I am still enjoying life, just with fewer calories. In Christ I’ve been empowered to move my A1C from a 14 to under 7 in less than a year.

I still believe God will heal me of diabetes, if not while I am on this earth than later during the eternal life which He has promised me. Until then, God’s grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

What Do You Love More Than God?

I read the In Touch Devotional, written by Dr. Charles Stanley, just about every morning. It serves to help me focus on God and is a great way to start my day. In his December 23, 2021 devotional, Dr. Stanley (founder of In Touch Ministries) spoke of having an intimate relationship with God. And while it was not the main focus of the devotional, the lesson got me thinking about the things that I allow to come between me and God. I realized that I need to start asking myself a question whenever I am tempted. It is a simple question that brings with it a boat load of conviction. What do I love more than God?

You see, one of the things I am saying when I give into temptation is that I love the thing I am being tempted to do more than I love God. More accurately, I am saying that I love the way I feel when I do that thing or that I love my own wisdom more than I love God. My own actions speak louder than words (especially those words I claim to believe) and my sin speaks volumes. They say that there are areas of my life where I have not fully surrendered to God: Areas where God is not number 1.

Fortunately my salvation is not earned. It is a free gift given to me (and offered to you) by God, paid for on the cross when Jesus died. So, my actions do not earn a ticket to heaven nor can they cost me my future position in Heaven. My actions do, however, affect my current relationship with God, keeping me from fully enjoying my position as His child. I love God and there is nothing more valuable than my relationship with God. I’ll remember to remind myself of that when temptation comes.

What about you? What do you love more than God?