West, King, Justice, and Love.
On this past Monday, I had the privilege of attending the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service here in downtown Atlanta. Each year this event is attended by a countless number of political and religious leaders, as well as several notable figures who dedicated their lives to champion civil rights causes.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Cornel West, arguably one of the most prolific thinkers and public intellectuals of our time. Since reading his 1993 classic Race Matters my senior year in high school, Dr. West has remained a true pace car for me for many years.
While addressing the audience about the importance of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on the fact that many rarely acknowledge that King was both feared and hated by those who now claim to love and admire him today, he made this statement that I believe is one I will remember for some time:
Justice is what love looks like in public.
Sometimes I wonder how many of us as leaders can seek to know God, serve God, and make His name renown throughout the earth, yet continue to live without any sensitivity to the those who are suffering around us. While I do not believe in taking on challenges without adequate resources, there still remains one resource that we as leaders will always have access to:
Our Time.
Let’s be sure this year to synchronize our time in such a way that fighting causes becomes something we as leaders can build up a natural rhythm for.
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Category: Creative Leadership
When David was pursuing those who had taken the women & children and “stuff” from Ziklag, he took time to care for the slave left to die in the wilderness. My assumption is David didn’t know his taking time to care would be a key in recovering everything that had been lost. Real leaders will take time to care as well as pursue.