Signs of the Times

As the week has gone on, I have continued thinking about Martin Luther King Jnr. During the week my attention was also drawn to the passage of scripture of 1 Chronicles 12:32.
"men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do - 200 Cheifs with all their relatives under their command;"
This indeed an interesting piece in light of people like Martin Luther King Jnr. The setting in scripture is that these are men who are joining King David from each tribe and they are being described. Mostly they are described in thousands of fighting men, but the men of Issachar are described as leaders/chiefs of household/families, not as soldiers. Men like Martin Luther King Jnr, John and Robert Kennedy were such men for their times. They understood the times in which they lived in and knew what they and their families should do.

They took on the giants, "the Goliaths" of their times; hatred, racism, social injustice and they stood for those who had no voice of their own. It is easy to say these men were giants themselves, but I would suggest they were men who used their sphere of influence for good not for evil. They were men who had some fairly significant personal flaws, but it did not stop them understanding their times and knowing what they should do. 

We all have a chance to be men and woman of Issachar; to look around us and see circumstances that are not right and need some attention. It is even better if we believe that we have a mandate from God. Martin Luther King Jnr did, but the Kenenedy's I am not so sure. Martin Luther King jnr started his journey in his father's church in Atlanta Georgia, Kennedy on a motor patrol boat in the Second World War. These great men did not start at a national level they started with the small sphere of influence they had. The interpreted their circumstances and their sphere of influence and sought to do something about it. That is something we all can do but still not many us make that choice to step out. We all have a sphere of influence we we could use, no matter how large or small. Even if we just influence ourselves and do the right thing, but most of us have a larger sphere of influence than just ourselves. The question is will we use our lives for good in our generation or will we be just a number on the list.

Today - I chose the road less travelled and it made all the difference - Robert Frost