I’ve always been inspired by the legacy that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived out. His eloquent and brilliant speaking style, perfectly mixed with stunning biblical inspiration, along with his dream for a beloved community, always left me in awe. In 1955, he was a young pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, thrust into the role of president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). The MIA led the way for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, after Rosa Parks had been arrested a few days before, for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Of course, Rosa Parks was just one person, on an endless list of people who were abused by Montgomery’s segregation practices. What’s fascinating to me, is that Dr. King only had 20 minutes to prepare the speech he gave at the Holt Street Baptist Church on December 5, 1955 – a speech that would change the trajectory of his life and thrust him into the national spotlight. With a commanding voice that shook the room, he told the church packed full of people, “we are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us so long that we are tired – tired of being segregated and humiliated; tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression” (King, 435). The one-day bus boycott ended up lasting for 13 months, all because a community decided to stand up together, against the atrocities that had plagued them for generations. It was in the midst of their radical faith, that God’s divine plan was set in motion. One other inspirational aspect of this movement, is the fact that it was actually started by the insistence of a group of passionate women from different backgrounds, educations and social classes – who were all fed up with the abusive and oppressive system of segregation. The bus boycott eventually led to a United States Supreme Court decision in 1956 that ruled Montgomery’s segregation laws were unconstitutional.⁣⁣
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There are many lessons we can learn from the life of Dr. King that are far too vast to recite here. Yet, I’ve been most impacted by the courage he embraced, along with a multitude of other unsuspecting people that came together as a community, to fight for racial justice and equality. The boycott was a success and changed a nation – not because everyone who stepped out in faith had an education, money and privilege, but because they believed in something bigger than themselves and could no longer stand by and allow such injustices to continue. In the face of fear, uncertain where God was in the midst of the turmoil, a community believed they could make a difference, one voice at a time – and together they did!⁣⁣
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I vividly remember receiving our son’s diagnosis of Autism. The doctor’s words hit me like a high-speed train, leaving me speechless and numb. I felt so lost and unprepared for the journey I knew was ahead of us. I spent a few weeks feeling sorry for myself, crying and thinking of all the heart-breaking scenarios that could play out in my son’s life. I remember asking, “where are you God?” I felt completely unequipped and couldn’t see beyond my fears and swollen tear-filled eyes. Little did I know that God was writing the lyrics to a beautiful symphony, that would play out in my life in the most unsuspecting of ways.⁣⁣
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Although I was a prosecutor at the time, I had absolutely no knowledge about special education. But God had other plans. A year after our son’s diagnosis, I kept sensing that I was supposed to leave my job at the DA’s office, but didn’t know why. Eventually, God’s calling became clear and through circumstances that can only be described as divinely orchestrated, I was approached by a special education administrator who said, “you’d be great at representing special education children”. At the time, I didn’t even know that area of law existed. That conversation set my life in a new direction. Soon after that, I ended up prosecuting a student for truancy, only to find out later that he had a disability that prevented him from being able to attend school consistently. I was mortified as I looked his mother in her frightened eyes and apologized. It was during the prosecution of this sweet boy that I met a special education attorney, that unbeknownst to me, would one day, several years later become my business partner.⁣⁣
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Within a few months, I opened up my private special education law firm. At the time, all I had was a law school degree and faith that God would give me everything I needed. And boy did he show up! The past fifteen years have been filled with some of the most amazing experiences of my life, as I’ve been privileged to work with hundreds of families to obtain appropriate supports and services for their children – children who are often treated unfairly and not provided opportunities to grow and thrive. I look back on my life and see God’s hand all over it, leading and guiding me to my destiny. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). God took one of the most heart-wrenching and difficult situations in my life, and used it to impact other children and families in need.⁣⁣
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I’ve come to learn that God is always present. Even when it feels like he has abandoned us, nothing could be farther from the truth. He is always with us, behind the scenes, orchestrating everything to work together for our good, even when it doesn’t make sense. Whether we’re fighting for justice in our communities or simply believing that God will equip us to do what we know he’s called us to do – we just need to take a step of faith. That’s where God will meet you, bless you and give you all you need to accomplish the dreams he’s put on your heart! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).⁣⁣
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Footnotes:⁣⁣
Martin Luther King and James Melvin Washington. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. 1St Harper Collins. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco (1991), 435.