Perhaps my all-time favorite quote of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is this: “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” On this day that the nation has set aside to observe the life of this great servant, many encourage people to “take a day on, not a day off.” We are all encouraged to serve on this day, to help keep Dr. King’s legacy alive.
HOWEVER…
It’s my opinion that this concept is a watered down version of what Dr. King’s words really meant. Is it really just enough for us to take one day – and not even a full eight hours – to go read to a child we’ll never see again or hammer some nails into the roof of a house in a neighborhood we wouldn’t be caught dead in after sunset? For most of us, that is enough. But, if we truly want to live out the legacy of Dr. King, we must choose to commit to a lifetime of service. I know it sounds overwhelming, but it’s a lot easier than you’d think. We just have to find that cause that speaks to us, that gets us fired up and motivated to be a catalyst for change. When you find that cause, you will discover how “easy” it is to live a lifetime of service.
So I challenge you, today. Don’t just limit the life, dream and vision of Dr. King to a 2-3 hour volunteer project once a year. Commit your life. Live the dream. Be great. Be a servant.