Dreams & Nightmares

Happy MLK Day! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend! As MLK Day draws to a close, I am reminded of an interview with Dr. King that I watched last week. This interview took place 11 months before Dr. King was assassinated. In this interview, Dr. King said that the dream he had that day (referring to the iconic “I Have Dream Speech”) had “turned into a nightmare.”

In this interview, Dr. King acknowledged the new challenges and oppositions that had arisen in the late 1960s. He even said that there were difficult days ahead. We often speak of Dr. King’s dream, but we rarely speak on how he confronted “the nightmare.”

It is great to dream; however, how do you respond to challenges to your dream? We cannot give up on our God-given dreams when challenges and oppositions arise. In the face of the nightmare, Dr. King said, “I am not one to lose hope. I keep on hoping. I have faith in the future.” Don’t give up hope. Dr. & Mrs. King and all of those who worked with them kept hope alive. As a result of their continued hope, parts of their dream became realized which caused the United States to become a “more perfect union.”

Your God-given dream will not only impact your life; your God-given life can change the life of others. Do not give up on your dream. Work the plan that brings your dream into reality. When challenges, obstacles, and nightmares arise, your response should be, “We Shall Overcome.”