Losers unite, and step into the light! . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Getting un-stuck can be such a pain. Sometimes you just can’t find the right words to express yourself. Or you can’t get your feet out of bed to get the day started. Sometimes it seems like your whole life is frozen. Like you wish you had a giant “Refresh” icon to click, to get a brand new try at making connections.

Being refreshed… sounds so good. Just give me a bit of sunshine, an energy boost, a new sense of urgency for living. New Year’s resolutions can sometimes function that way. Sometimes companies or families or individuals write mission statements, to articulate a vision that will inspire and get things moving again.

I’ve been impressed by the “Six word Memoir” movement started by the online magazine, Smith, encouraging you to tell your story in 6 words. (See Smith's 6 word challenge  Smith's Six Word Challenge ). Now that’s not necessarily like finding your reason for being, but it does get you thinking about what’s going on at your very core. Here's one that was recently posted on Smith’s site:

“Born weak. Reborn strong. Thank God”. Sounds refreshing alright!

I keep playing with my six word memoir, but it usually comes out something like this: “God's bridge-building, to me, through me”. Those six words tell the story of how I'm living fully when I'm attempting to build bridges: between different people or different ways of thinking, for example. And in the middle of that bridge-building is where I find God, or probably, where God finds me.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day seems like a great day to get unstuck, to come up with a driving principle, a reason for being… since we’re celebrating the life of one who had such passion for changing his world and knew the words to say to refresh those who were oppressed.

I’ve been musing on what might be Dr. King’s six words. “Fighting non-violently for God’s freedom dream” is one that I’ve come up with.

The Savior that Dr. King believed in had a freedom dream, too. Jesus saw God’s people stuck in the darkness, and he longed to bring them into the light. When Matthew wrote down Jesus’ story, he wanted to make sure his audience knew that Jesus wanted ALL people in that light, especially those who’d previously been squashed down by the powers that be. Take a look at this piece of Jesus’ story: Matthew 4:13-17,23.

There’s no way Jesus will be stuck in one place; he is on the move! He starts out by leaving his hometown to go to “the land of Zebulun and Naphtili”. If you’ve never heard those obscure places, you are not alone. That region was known to be the place of losers, since they were constantly being oppressed by one nasty force or another.

But they weren’t losers to Jesus. He tells them: Repent! (which means: Completely turn around!) because God’s kingdom is within your reach! Right here, right now!  Turn away from your loser status and step into God’s freeing power...

What might Jesus’ six word memoir be? How about: “God’s freedom for those squashed down”. That’s what I’m hearing when I read that passage. In this very moment, when I’m trying to write a blog that might somehow bridge someone closer to God, I have God’s freeing power. Though I started off this post totally stuck (could you tell?) and at a loss for words, God’s energy began to flow when I admitted my stuckness and accepted God’s freeing lead.

Like Jesus, Dr. King preached that the freedom his people sought was theirs already. God in Jesus had already given them all the dignity they needed. They need not earn it or grab it or borrow it from those in power. They would wear their full God-given freedom for all to see, and fight for the rights that should come to all free people.

God’s freedom is ours. As we live into it, and share it with others, we can find refreshing energy and God’s own power. 

Please feel free to leave your own thoughts or 6 word memoirs or hopes for refreshment, by clicking on "post a comment" below.   And for a bit more reflection on Dr. King's Day (and how Martin walked in the way of Jesus), check out this U2 tribute.


Portions of this blog post appeared on btw's blog January 18, 2010.