Making a Difference

I have spent a lot of time since Nelson Mandela's passing on December 5th, thinking about him and his life.  It's one thing to view his life from the outside but it's totally another, viewing it from his perspective.  What would it be like to be Nelson Mandela?  To be the person, seeing the oppression of his people and not just acknowledging it, but doing something about it.  Not just speaking about justice but being willing to go to prison for 27 years for it.  Not just preaching forgiveness and reconciliation but practicing it.  Not just talking about making a difference, but changing South Africa.  May he rest in peace.

My Condolences

Yesterday while in Winnipeg, I took a moment in my long and busy day to do something I've never taken the time to do before.  I stopped at the Manitoba Legislature Buildings and signed the book of condolences for Nelson Mandela.  My thoughts and prayers continue to go out for the Mandela family and the beautiful people of South Africa.  I have never known the injustice that so many South Africans have experienced and it is my hope that they will continue to strive for Nelson Mandela's vision of a Rainbow Nation where justice reigns no matter race, religion, sex or age.  That in the generations to come, their children can live in a truly free South Africa and fondly remember a great man in Nelson Mandela who fought for their freedom.

Long Road to Freedom

"I have walked that long road to freedom.

I have tried not to falter;

I have made missteps along the way.

But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill,

one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

I have taken a moment here to rest,

to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me,

to look back on the distance I have come.

But I can only rest for a moment,

for with freedom come responsibilities,

and I dare not linger,

for my long walk is not ended."

~Nelson Mandela

December 10th

How appropriate it is that the world should gather today to celebrate Nelson Mandela's life - not only is it Human Rights Day (honoring the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 1948), but it also marks the 20th anniversary of Mandela receiving the Nobel Peace Prize (1993) and the day that Mandela signed South Africa's constitution into law (1996).  I along with many others in Canada, woke up in the middle of the night to bear witness to today's memorial.  That the sky opened up and shared its grief as teardrops from heaven just seemed fitting.  The world has truly lost a hero and it is now up to us to be his voice and to share his legacy.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well when he said:

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded."

How many of us will be able to say that we left this world even a little bit better?  Certainly Nelson Mandela can, and it's not just "a bit" better - he changed South Africa and in so doing, he changed the world.  And he did it one person at a time, starting with himself.  May it be so with us.

The Most Powerful Weapon

South African Sports Goes On

It is fitting that in the time between Nelson Mandela's passing and the funeral, South African sports continue - uniting the country just as they did years ago.  Go to:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/rugby-team-huddles-in-mandelas-stadium-then-wins-as-south-african-sport-goes-on-234891461.html

"I led my sheep from behind."

Free the Children and We Day co-founder Marc Kielburger shared about a brief encounter he had with Nelson Mandela in the following Winnipeg Free Press article:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/we-day-co-founder-reflects-234712741.html

I love the part that says:

"He [Nelson Mandela] said, 'I led my sheep from behind,' " said Kielburger. "He talked about being a shepherd. It wasn't about him, it was about the larger issues -- he wasn't trying to be out front, to be a symbol."

True leadership, in its best form, is about service and humility - something we really lack in today's world - something seen in Jesus as he washed the disciples' feet.

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher,

have washed your feet,

you also ought to wash one another's feet.

For I have given you an example,

that you also should do just as I have done to you."

John 13: 14 & 15

Mandela Lives

New York Times - Nicholas Kristof - Mandela Lives:

kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/mandela-lives/?_r=0

To My South African Friends. . .

. . .my heart breaks with and for you today as you mourn the loss of Nelson Mandela, your leader, inspiration, and friend.  The world has lost a hero today in the truest sense of the word, as Nelson Mandela was a humanitarian - a human - to the core.  Now it is your turn to share the hope that he carried for your nation and extend it to your neighbors as you go from here, living in a world without him.  I miss you all and will be praying for you - know that part of my heart will always remain in South Africa!

CNN: Technology Aids Human Trafficking

 

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com