Answer the Highest Calling in Your Heart

Death— the one fate we are all guaranteed to meet one day, yet at times we live our lives in ways devoid of acknowledging that we are operating on borrowed time. For one day, our time on earth will exist no more and we will have to give account to what we did with the precious time we had while we were here (Romans 14:12). Today I witnessed the home-going services of the late Congressman John Lewis. Even as I type, the tears are welling up in my eyes as I think about how one life has had such a lifelong impact.

As I watched our servicemen carry out the casket to head to the final resting grounds for Mr. Lewis, I wept as I saw servicemen of various hues and shades join together to provide him with an honorable burial. I sat in that moment and wondered what Mr. Lewis would have envisioned the world to be like today when he was a child. As I read his final letter, he recounted that “though [he] was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect [him] from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle.” And though the darkened stains of fear, death, and gloom washed over his era like an eclipse in the middle of the night—against all hope, he still believed for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow we are all living in today. Through the years, we saw Mr. Lewis rise to the occasion to stir up some “Good Trouble” whenever he would see something that was not fair or just and use his voice, his platform, and his life to fight for equal justice for all. His efforts were not in vain, for the sweat, blood, and tears served as a catalyst to build the momentum towards the progress we have made today.

So, today I wept. I cried because I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude for the life of sacrifice he lived. I lament even in this moment knowing that the work he started must continue to go on so that our future generations may have a chance at a better tomorrow. And like the rain showers that give birth to a beautiful rainbow after an impenetrable storm, I smiled—for although we are nowhere near where we need to be today, the progress that has been made was one that Mr. Lewis lived to bear witness to with his own eyes. So as we sit in this current moment and ponder on how to bridge the divide amongst the many societal ills that plague this country, let us use Mr. Lewis’ life as a guiding blueprint as we take the next steps forward. In his final address to world, Congressman Lewis so eloquently laid the bricks for the new foundation we should continue to build upon in this final charge— “Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe”. Let us join our hands together and work so that freedom may ring. So on this final note, good night Congressman—may you forever rest in perfect peace. Selah!