It’s here, the one day every four years that we swear a President into office for four years. I gotta tell you, I feel a lump in my throat when I see such an exuberant, joyful, majestic and regal event bringing the nation together. There are few countries where such an event like this can take place for centuries.
To top it off, it’s also the day we remember Martin Luther King, Jr. No matter what your political persuasion, you just have to have national pride today.
Speaking of Rev. King, he deserves honor today. A man who took what he read in the Bible, made it his conviction and stood up for what he knew was true. I read this quote from him recently:
On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.
I love that about Martin Luther King, Jr. He followed his conscience, formed from what He read in the Bible and did the hard thing, stood up against the flow and led a great movement to stop a great injustice. What I admire about him is that he stressed love and nonviolence in the face of some explosive situations. If you have time, read this great sermon of his delivered at the National Cathedral in 1968.
What a legacy he leaves, what a challenge he leaves to all of us to stand up for our convictions. What a country and what a day for the nation!