A Passion for Service

January 27, 2020

On January 20, our nation observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – a day that many choose to spend in service to others. In fact, awareness of and participation in the MLK Day of Service has grown significantly since Congress designated it as a federal holiday in 1994, and there are many opportunities to get involved in our local communities on this meaningful day.

While service was a cornerstone of Dr. King’s legacy, it underscored his much greater passion of achieving racial equality. Known for using the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, he maintained fidelity to his belief that we are all God’s children, with equal inherent rights. This spiritual conviction led him to also address the problems of poverty, voting rights, and economic justice.¹ In other words, his sincere passion for bringing about racial equality bore fruit in a myriad of ways.

What are your passions, and are you pursuing them wholeheartedly? What are the desires and plans that you feel God has placed in your heart? There are many resources that can help you turn your passion into action; the catalyst is an inner drive or yearning to give back or serve others in a way that is personally meaningful to you. Your aspirations don’t have to be grand. You can make a difference in the smallest of ways, whether you are led to serve in your neighborhood or in another country.

God has made each of us with unique talents, gifts, and knowledge. By cultivating our passions, we not only heed God’s direction and live in greater harmony with His purpose; we also, like Dr. King, can allow those passions to infuse a heart of generosity and create a serving spirit toward others.

We encourage you to draw inspiration from Dr. King’s legacy throughout the year by generously giving from those resources with which you have been blessed, including your time, talents, and treasures.

¹ Thekingcenter.org

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