“He set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51 

Financial advisors will encourage clients to stick to their plan and not give in to making emotional changes in their investments. Trainers tell people to stick to their exercise plan. Dieticians tell us to stick to our eating plan. Have I hit the main new year resolution goals? 

Sticking to a plan is important. The challenge comes when sticking gets hard. The Bible says Jesus set his face for Jerusalem. He must have had a look of resolve. He knew Jerusalem would mean crucifixion. But Jesus understood this was his path. This was his goal. He was sticking to the plan. 

One year into the Civil Rights movement and the bus boycott in Montgomery (1956 to be exact), a bomb exploded at the home of Martin Luther King Jr. He was speaking at an event but his wife, Coretta, their seven-week-old daughter, Yolanda, and a neighbor were inside. Fortunately, no one was hurt though the front of the home was damaged.   

Dr. King was told of the bombing, and he immediately rushed home. When he arrived, a large crowd of supporters gathered, many with weapons ready to act. Dr. King went inside and then returned to speak to the people. He confirmed his family was okay, then said, “If you have weapons, he pleaded, take them home. If you do not have them, please do not seek them. We cannot solve the problem through violence. We must meet violence with nonviolence.” The crowd dispersed peacefully. (Thanks to my friend, Duane Anders, who made me aware of this story) 

King had a plan. It became very challenging to follow that plan when crowds wanted revenge. It had to be tough to follow that plan when your own home was bombed, and your family could have been killed. But Dr. King believed his plan was right, and even in the heat of ugliness and evil, he stuck with the plan. 

The best, most right plans are never easy to keep, and they may appear to be defeated at times, but if those plans are in keeping with God’s they will ultimately prevail. 

Thank you, Dr. King. 

---