Lunch and a Little Boy

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King! Just the mention of his name elicits a response from people.  One day while I was in college in the 80’s, a little boy approached me in a restaurant and asked me was I him, to my surprise.  The fact that it had been many years since Dr. King had died did not seem to matter to him, so I smiled at him and told him that I was not who he thought I was.  Looking back on that moment makes me realize that the impact of a person’s life can be present long after they have left.

When we look for people, what are we looking for?  People affect the value of our life either positively or negatively.  The funny thing about that interaction on that day was that I was reading a biography about Dr. King while eating my lunch.  This stranger’s question made me pause and think about a multitude of things that day.  Things like: will the life I live make a difference, will the work I have done be meaningful, or will someone want to know if I was still around?

Dr. King spoke of his purpose in life.  In spite of the multitude of accomplishments he had, his desire was that people knew he tried to help somebody.  I do not know, but maybe on the day that I was mistaken for him that little boy may have needed help.  One person I surely know needed help that day, was me.  Help trying to figure out what company to interview for, what type of job or career to pursue, what kind of man would I be.

The principles that we choose to live by, and guide our life, last longer than we do.  Regardless of the career choice or place to live, that last thought about what kind of man I would be drove me into a deeper pursuit about personal development.  Dr. King once again had an impact as he challenged that if a man has not discovered something he is willing to die for, he is not fit to live.  This was more that just colorful rhetoric, it was a rephrasing of Patrick Henry declaring the desire to have liberty or death in the founding of our country.

As I write these words, I hope that the principles, purpose and passion that stirs a life of service to your fellow man propel you to have someone looking for you just as people still seek the fulfillment of the dream Dr. King spoke of.  It is amazing what a little boy, lunch and a life filled with purpose can do.