Monday, August 11, 2014

8/11/14

Rosa Parks is one of the most famous names in civil rights history.  She has been called ‘the first lady of civil rights’ and ‘the mother of the freedom movement’… and rightly so.  On December 1, 1955, Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus.  She was arrested for her ‘defiance.’  In his book, Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy quotes Rosa Parks, “When I sat down on the bus that day, I had no idea history was being made – I was only thinking of getting home.  But I had made up my mind.  After so many years of being a victim of the mistreatment my people suffered, not giving up my seat – and whatever I had to face afterwards – was not important.  I did not feel any fear sitting there.  I felt the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face.  It was time for someone to stand up – or in my case, sit down.  So I refused to move.”
 
This sounds a lot like an illustration of the text of I Corinthians 1:27-29, “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong [and] the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”  
 
The courage that launched the historic civil rights movement in our nation was born of a humble faith and God-confidence resident in the heart of a single African-American young woman.  We can all learn from this Rosa Parks that the courage to do the right thing sometimes means we have to ‘swim upstream’ or ‘march to the beat of a different drummer.’ 
 
Pray with me… Father, may we walk so close to You each day that You inspire in each of us the humility and courage to fearlessly do the right thing in every season and situation of life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.


Blessings,
Pastor Ken

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