“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy“.
–Martin Luther King Jr.
Oh there have been so many incredible quotes floating around today from Martin Luther King Jr. And I know it’s late, but I just wanted to at least share one here in this little space on the internet.
Especially since I got a letter from my nephew who’s serving a mission and he told a story I’ve been thinking about today too.
Let me share it with you directly from his letter:
“A man was walking with a hot cup full of coffee and a kid bumped into him and he spilled the coffee all over himself. Someone asked him later “Why did you spill the coffee on yourself?” and he’s said “cause a kid bumped into me” but the person said “no, it’s because your carrying coffee in your cup.”
“In our lives we are all going to be bumped and pushed or even shoved, that’s not the question. the question is what spills out of our cup when that happens. Are we going to be carrying love and kindness and patience like Christ or is something nasty and mean that gunna spill out?“
Thank you, Elder Shumway!
So maybe, in the perspective from this story, the ultimate measure of a man is what he carries in his cup. Are we carrying around things that will spill out goodness?
So grateful for all the people carrying around goodness, forgiveness and also strength.
Thank you MLK for the legacy that lives on and still weaves beauty into the tapestry of life.
What a great quote. While we may only celebrate him one day a year, let us remember the true spirit of MLK’s teachings as we move forward with LOVE instead of hate. A good exercise in empathy is to befriend someone very different from ourselves and make an effort to view the world through their eyes. Perhaps that would be a good challenge for us all, especially those of us in less diverse bubbles.