A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

Thank you God for the growing awareness That you are everywhere You are the force that animates every fiber of my being But not just my being Or all humans But all of creation Nothing exists apart from your creative power  And the force of life you give it The energy of the cosmos is the same As the energy in my cells In my molecules In my quarks So You are always with me No shouting or striving to get Your attention Just to be still And know You are God To breathe in and breathe out with gratefulness For lungs filled with oxygen Sustaining me for another few moments Every breath a gift A reason to praise You are in all things and you have given me existence Life Consciousness Awareness of beauty Ability to act  It is all so good Thank you.

 In April 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a lengthy letter to a group of white Pastors who had criticized him and the movement he was leading to bring an end to the segregationist policies in Alabama (and beyond). After leading a series of nonviolent protests, King and a couple other leaders of the movement were jailed for a number of days, much of it spent in isolation. I recently read this amazing piece of literature for the first time (can't believe it was never a part of my education previously). It lays out some very important ideas about the theory and methods of using nonviolent protests to create pressure on unjust systems that need to be changed. It also challenges "white moderates" who simply desired peace without working for justice. I think I very likely would have been a "white moderate" had I been alive then and I find this letter important as a Christian first, as an American second, and most importantly as a human.  I have highlighted sections tha