"Martin Luther King, Jr: TOUGH MIND...TENDER HEART!"

Much of the discourse we hear annually about the incredible contribution and sacrifice MLK made for this country centers almost exclusively on the "I Have A Dream" speech and his horrific assassination and subsequent national cover-up. The currents of his spirit man ran much deeper than that. 

Although only a 10 year old 4th grader at the time, I can remember vividly the image of the endless stream of news coverage as Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley broke the somber news of his death that fateful April day in the spring of 1968. I often reflect on hearing the outcries of my mother and Aunt as they embraced each other in disbelief. The report coming over that small black and white Zenith Solid State TV had the entire nation paralyzed and a young boy totally confused and enraged.

My repeated pleas of, "Why did they kill him Momma, why did the kill him?" where muffled by the overwhelming grief and shock of my entire family.

Dr. King represented the delicate balance a strong man possesses within himself of two warring factions; a creative synthesis of opposites. Rarely does the idealist exhibit characteristics of the realist; nor the realist of the idealist. It is uncommon to see the humble self assertive or the self assertive humble. Militants are not generally passive nor passive folks militant. The Spirit of Christ prepared Dr. King with the innate (God given and God inspired) ability of "blending opposites."

How did he accomplish this? He did it with a "TOUGH MIND AND A TENDER HEART!"

As first and foremost a son of God and disciple of Christ, Dr. King  undoubtedly took his leading and guiding from the Holy Spirit. He was facing the most fearful enemy an individual man could face in the form of the US Government. Can you imagine the immense pressure of having the President, the House and Congress, the FBI, CIA, Military as well federal, state and local police (not to mention the KLAN) ALL monitoring your every move and ALL wanting you dead? 

What manner of man has the ability to continue to press through this unparalleled intrusion of privacy, incessant surveillance, death threats and conspiracy to fulfill his purpose in the earth but a man with a tough mind and a tender heart? It is the expectation of Christ Jesus that we combine the cunning of the serpent and the gentleness of a dove when ministering (serving) in the marketplace.

Contrary to popular belief, Dr. King was not a chump because of his non-violent political posture. His tough mind developed a strategy to preserve the integrity of the race; his skillfully orchestrated boycotts crippled the finances of the Montgomery City Bus Lines; his expertly crafted and impeccably timed speeches on the issues of economic empowerment, dissolution of poverty, equal rights, voting rights, housing, education, ending the Vietnam War and stifling segregation all had a profound and lasting impact not only on Black Americans, but on ALL Americans. He was an incisive thinker with acute appraisal capabilities and decisive judgement while being astute, fearless and discerning.

His tender heart saw that the soft minded racist possessed a hard heart, not because because of the color of his skin, but because of ignorance and fear. His tender heart knew that the soft minded segregationist was mired in the quicksand of unbelievable gullibility. His tender heart was able to graft together the northern liberal Jewish New Yorker with the southern black farmer from Alabama. His tender heart galvanized the entire world behind the Movement which awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. 

His tender heart sacrificed his family and the attributes of family life for the advancement of the human race (not the just the Black race). His tender heart spoke to him in the still of the night what his fate would be if he stayed faithful to his destiny. His tender heart embraced hate, deception and corruption and swallowed them up like a great tsunami engulfs an unsuspecting coastal village.

The spirit-led man or woman must possess both of these attributes if he/she is to boldly advance the Kingdom of God in the earth. Dr. King's vision for humanity superseded his blackness. His hope for a colorless society for future generations was greater than his concern for his reputation. His relentless pursuit of justice and truth was importance than the preservation of his own life. He had a thousand chances to quit. More than a thousand chances to walk away. He could have buckled under the fear of death and retribution from his enemies. He could have; but he didn't. Why?

Because he was a man with a tough mind and a tender heart! Selah...