Dr. King and Change

As I mentioned in the previous article, we cannot mistakenly rely on the President alone for major cultural changes. I think an excellent case in point is one of my Baptist heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, who we are remembering today. What I like about this picture is that you can see both King and President Johnson. While both led the government through some changing times, it was the minds and hearts of the people that had to change in order for real change to occur, and not the men themselves.

I fear that there are a lot of people even today who are looking to Obama as a change-agent for America. That is certainly how he presented himself during his campaign for the presidency. The bottom line is, our government is not set up for one person to make lasting changes. There are bodies of legislators and other groups of officials who must vote to bring about changes. What influences their vote? The same thing that got them in their position to begin with...OUR VOTE! When he/she knows their constituents feel a certain way, an elected official is usually willing to go along with the general consensus. So it is US who makes the difference. Dr. King would say the same thing. So, do not place your trust in a president, regardless of his charisma or promises. Do not place your hope in government to fix all of our problems. Change your habits, ways, and thinking, and then change will begin. This is exactly what happened for every single cultural shift in our country's history. It was the PEOPLE who initiated change - not the government. For ours is a government "...of the people, by the people, for the people."