THE BALLOT AND THE CLASSROOM — TWO DOORS OPENED ON FEBRUARY 3

February 3 stands in history as a date when doors were opened by courage and by conviction. On this day in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, declaring that a man’s right to vote could not be denied because of race or former bondage. Eighty-six years later, on the same date in 1956, Autherine Lucy stepped onto the campus of the University of Alabama, becoming the first Black student to enroll there. One event unfolded in the chambers of law; the other unfolded in the heat of human hostility. Both revealed that justice written on paper must still be carried into the streets by faithful hearts.

The Fifteenth Amendment was a bold declaration, but it was not a finished victory. It named a truth that heaven already knew: that citizenship and dignity are not gifts from the powerful but acknowledgments of what God has already bestowed. God shows no partiality and judges every person according to truth (Romans 2:11; Romans 2:2). Yet history shows how quickly that truth was resisted, buried under intimidation, violence, and clever injustice. February 3 reminds us that righteousness can be proclaimed in law while still being resisted in life.

Autherine Lucy’s walk onto that Alabama campus exposed that very tension. She did not arrive with a crowd or a clenched fist, but with a quiet resolve to learn. Her presence was met with rage, threats, and chaos. Within days she was expelled, not because she was wrong, but because courage made others uncomfortable. Still, her step mattered. Jesus taught that light is not meant to be hidden but placed where it can be seen, even when that light reveals uncomfortable truths (Matthew 5:14-16). Her obedience to conscience became a testimony stronger than the mobs that opposed her.

These two February 3 moments belong together. The vote without access to education is fragile, and education without full citizenship is incomplete. The Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to both. Christ came not merely to save souls in isolation, but to restore people to full humanity, seeking the lost and lifting those cast aside (Luke 19:10). When the church forgets this, it risks blessing injustice while singing about grace. When it remembers, it becomes a witness to the kingdom where every barrier will finally fall.

February 3 calls us to more than remembrance; it calls us to faithfulness. Just laws must be honored, courage must be defended, and truth must be spoken even when it unsettles our comfort. The same Lord who opens hearts also opens doors that no man can shut. The ballot and the classroom remain holy ground when entered in the fear of God and love of neighbor.

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Lord Jesus Christ, You who welcome the outcast and establish justice with truth, teach us to honor the courage of those who walked before us. Give us hearts that love righteousness not only in word, but in action. Make Your church a faithful witness to Your kingdom, until every door You have opened stands fully free. Amen.

BDD

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MUSCLE SHOALS — WHERE THE TIDE OF GRACE MET THE SOUND OF SOUL

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