Clarence Jones first met Martin Luther King when King personally visited Jones’ home in California to convince him to become part of his legal team. Surprisingly, Jones turned King down. After King left, Jones received an invitation from one of King’s aides to attend the upcoming service at a local church where Martin Luther King was to be the guest preacher. Jones accepted the invitation and found King to be much more charismatic in that venue than he had been in his living room. Not only did King direct a big part of his sermon directly, but anonymously, at Clarence Jones, by the end of his sermon Jones was convinced to become part of Martin Luther King’s legal council.
What struck me about this Clarence Jones interview is how different his life would have been if he had not attended that sermon. He would never have become part of King’s counsel, nor would he have helped write King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. The world would be a different place.
Life is full of opportunity. Some opportunities are exploited while others are ignored. While it is easy to see what comes of opportunities taken, it is more difficult to realize the consequences of opportunities missed.
“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” - Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)
1 comment:
This brings to mind listening to the Martin Luther King speech read over the video in the museum in Alabama. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Very inspiring.
Post a Comment