January 17, 2022
There are a lot of problems in our nation today that should not be there because we have the tools and capabilities to resolve them. Our modern day and its inventions, technologies, and information as well as the liberty that we enjoy, as Americans in particular, have given us the ability to solve problems that our forefathers and ancestors were unable to solve in their lifetime. The forefathers and many of our ancestors gave us the intuitive guidance we needed to solve many problems in later generations that they could not tackle.
Dr. King gave to his people and the world tools in the form of an ideology of nonviolence to pursue as a method of communication with other races in addressing complicated issues with adversaries and peers to bring our minds into a level of mutual understanding suitable for resolutions. We know that he was well versed in religion, history, social science, economics and possessed leadership skills that helped him to be intelligent enough to understand the recurring problems of his day.
Many of our citizens are too busy with managing home life, education, and employment to delve into the many studies it takes to understand the issues confronting our society, nation and world. That is the reason why it is so important that citizens have authorized and financed other people in various areas of expertise and public office to work on these complicated, time-consuming issues that everyday citizens cannot.
The forefathers were generally well versed or scholars in bible study, which familiarized the reader with wisdom about life as a whole. But they also had specialty in other areas of study as lawyers, physicians, merchants, writers, farmers, public office holders or ministry. Many were well educated or self-taught and knowledgeable enough about life to plan a skeletal government that later generations would merely have to amend.
With all the foreknowledge, planning and divine grace that went into the founding documents that have endured for over 200 years, considering the simplicity of daily life and our capabilities, and with the knowledge of history today; one would have to wonder at our inability to get it right. America has a vast advantage over many other nations because God has blessed it with knowledge and liberty to improve itself. Our nation certainly spends a lot more time on leisure and entertainment than the forefathers and ancestors would have had the luxury to enjoy.
When we consider why our nation continues to contend with such devastating problems and cannot seem to reconcile them when other generations did more improvements with less tools; the only reason must be the lack of will. We can note that Dr. King was willing to risk his life and the comfort of his family to bring to our nation and people a greater probability of freedom for minority generations to come. After over fifty years since his sacrifice and heroic deeds, men with more freedom than he enjoyed have not been able to substantially increase the well-being of African-American people; but they are still relying on King’s work. When we are not moving forward, we are drifting backward because gravity always insist on a response to its pull. The backward drifting of minorities is because men with the same abilities as King are not willing to step forward and spend the same amount of capital that he spent to get our people beyond where we are today.
Primarily at fault are men with the same opportunities as Dr. King had to rise up and make a change. Neither males nor any leader has the right to insist on others following them if they are not moving forward. Citizens have invested their trust and finances into leaders who should show progress in improving the lives of their followers or constituents or they should in shame remove themselves from the position before being asked to leave. That statement implies that followers or constituents are diligent enough to ask failing leaders to sit down because their leaders should lead. We cannot afford to allow our lives to be subjected to backward drift because the leaders will not lead forward and the people are too scared to say something. Jesus says the blind leading the blind will both fall into the ditch (Mt. 15:14). That wisdom was given too long ago for us not to heed its truth.
I believe we fail today to have leaders as well versed as the nation’s founders or Dr. King because, to start with, all those leaders were well versed in bible scriptures and then went on to master a variety of other subjects that gave them a sound basis for leadership. Our nation proved its backwardness by selecting the most ungodly and incompetent person as the leader of the nation as president in 2016. Not only was he poorly suited for the job and told us so in advance, but the nation was too blinded by stardust to be able to see it or do anything about it. We should always select people wiser than ourselves to lead us or we become the blind being led by the blind.
The same things it took to get us here are the same type of quality it will take to keep the nation strong and moving forward. Let’s continue, first of all, to educate ourselves and then to select and follow the lead of great leaders, who believe in God, having proven themself wise and who seek greater wisdom to move our people forward. History repeats itself and we should have learned the lessons of those who came before us. We should not put the nation in the hands of those seeking self-glory rather than serving to promote the people as a servant-leader of God. We would be foolish to deny history or fail to teach children their history, causing them to be ill-prepared to avoid repeating the errors of yesterday. We should add to the success learned from the past and build on it to move forward from that position and go higher. We have lived in Dr. King’s vision for 50 years and now we need to catch a higher vision, remembering the vision given by Jesus for all people to come into a worldwide love, peace and unity for eternity. Jesus gave for all people instructions for getting there. He was our martyr and our Savior. We can all walk together in His vision. Without a vision, the people perish.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you… Mt 5:44
Truth and Life Ministries of Christ with Apostle Joyce Reba Payne 