Letter from Adrienne Lombardi to MLK

Transcript

[Page 1] [Stamp in Blue Ink: Received FEB[ruary] 14 1968] Feb[ruary] 8, 1968 Dear Martin Luther King, I am writing this letter to you because I was so happy to hear you express, recently, a belief which I hold true and I would like to share, if I may, a few thoughts of my own about this. The belief I refer to is the one that we owe our [Underlined: first] allegiance to God; that any other allegiance is subordinate to this one. This is the truth since the beginning of time and if man wishes to serve God, I believe he must hold fast to this truth no matter what! The failure to remember this truth, as far as I'm concerned, is at the heart of all our problems today as always. How does one, who has a mind to, live out his allegiance to God? I think you do this by putting, as much as possible, [Page 2] God first in all your thoughts, by turning your life over to Him (to lead and guide you) and by learning to know Him so that you can eventually, through Him, come to know who and what you are and what it is He wants you to be. He teaches you the truth of things through Christ and once you know this you want to follow with all your heart and soul and live your life accordingly. Life takes on a whole new meaning and with it a whole new set of goals. Because of the great love given to you you [sic] love in return and want to show it by everything you do. Your first allegiance [Underlined: must] be to Him for you love Him so- He is life. When you believe this and are determined to follow, there are just some things you cannot do and some that you must do no matter what the cost. You must stand up for and defend the truth in which you believe. Today what does [Page 3] this entail? Each one of us, I'm sure knows that answer from his own experience! I believe then we have a choice today between life and death, in the true sense (Do we accept God through Christ and His way, His truth or don't we?) and that's what it is all about- as that was the case how often before? This choice has to be made individually by each person and the time has come to do so. For instance, as an individual, taking the two most outstanding subjects. I cannot tolerate the conditions brought about by the war and supported by it for I believe the war is wrong and I cannot tolerate the conditions brought about by racial prejudice and supported by it for I believe this prejudice is wrong. This notion must "turn the tide" back to God before any of its' problems can be settled and this has to do with each and every one of us in our daily lives. Has a nation ever before been able to do this? (We know what happened when some didn't.) [Page 4] Will this one? Let us hope so. Whatever the Lord wills- and as I have indicated my first allegiance is to Him. Does a nation lose when the individual gains, renewing itself and forming a new nation in God (a process that has to be repeated over and over- the price of liberty being "eternal vigilance")? Is it times such as these that God uses to bring His people back to Him? If so, then thanks be to Him for these times. I hope you will you find this readable. I'm not very good at expressing myself but feel I must anyway. It is my hope that those of us who believe these things will be able to live up to them, each in whatever way is made available to him. May God be with you to give you the strength and courage you will need. Sincerely, [Closing Signature: Mrs. Adrienne J. Lombardi]