It’s almost as if he knew he didn’t have much time. Young Martin Luther King Jr. was always in a hurry. Skipping grades of school, he entered college at age 15 and became an ordained minister at age 19. He was only 30 when he saw the signing of the Civil Rights Act, and at 35 he was the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Just four years later, his life was over.




How could one man do so much in such a short time? Maybe the answer is in a line from his speech at Selma, Alabama, in 1965. When asked how long it would take to win the reforms he was fighting for, he said, “How long? Not long, for mine eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.”



I wonder how many good works I have neglected because I thought they would take too much time and effort. I can usually think of dozens of reasons why something can’t be done:



“I’m too old to start.”

“I’m not exactly rich, you know?”

“I’m a low-energy person.”

“I’m too shy; I’m not the leader type.”


All of these may be true, but I think the real reason I don’t accomplish more is that I don’t have a clear vision of what I want to do, and I fail to include the Lord on my list of resources.

It stirs me to think of the possibilities for good if everyone learned to see with the eyes of a dreamer. Today, on the birthday of Dr. King, would be a good time to look up at the stars and ask God for a clearer vision of what needs to be done.



Thank You, Father, for men and women who show us what we can do when we dare to dream..



—Daniel ScHantz