Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

I love this photo of little boys dressed up as Indian independence Leader Mahatma Gandhi. It was the eve of the 139th Anniversary of Gandhi’s birth and children were celebrating the occasion by dressing as one of the most important figures in human history. Gandhi influenced leaders worldwide — like Martin Luther King, Jr. — with his approach to nonviolent, peaceful civil disobedience. Gandhi’s leadership met the moment, not because he was charismatic, pleasing on the eyes or entertaining. His leadership met the moment because it was grounded in timeless principals, timeless and universal truths. You could not follow Gandhi if you were afraid to be stretched, afraid to grow, afraid to do something new, afraid to see the “other” as a human being deserving of abundant life.

The leadership was not in the clothes, not in the attire. It was in the soul. Dressing the part, however, honors the power of those souls. I’d love to see more children dress up like Thurgood Marshall, Shirley Chisholm, Marian Wright Edelman, and Nelson Mandela.

I’d like to see more adults dress up in compassion, integrity, determination…

Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Start dressing the part now….