WHAT CAN WE DO IN A COUNTRY TORN APART?
South Africa is a great land, with great people. But somehow there is forces at work that is tearing this country apart. So what can we do in a country that is torn apart?
HATE
Some people think that hate is the answer to all their problems. Just hate other people and you will feel better about yourself. But the question is: who must you hate? About what must you hate them? And if you hate them how will it change your situation?
Hate cannot change any situation. In fact: hate destroys the person that is hating! So... if you are hating someone for what is going on in South Africa, you are destroying yourself!! So, is hate the answer? No! Hate is not an option!
Then surely violence is the option? If you are angry about something then you can violate someone else's property, their business, a school and burn some cars while you're at it. What the heck, you just want to hit or kill someone. This will definitely make you feel better. Or that is what you think. But... is this really a solution?
You can do all of the above, but it will NEVER give you inner peace. You can be as violent as you want to, but in the end it is only you that is going to live with the consequences. And... if you kill people to feel better, don't you think you are now getting lower than an animal? Animals only kill to protect or eat. So... if you kill or hit someone to make you feel better - are you human or animal?
Violence is and never was an option. In violence it is normally the good and innocent people that gets hurt, people that has nothing to do with what is going on in a country torn apart! Violence is and never will be the answer!
Wow, this is your favourite - blaming others for everything that happens around you. It is easy and sometimes even human to blame others for your mistakes! You don't want to admit that you have made a mistake, so you blame someone else. In South Africa this has been the case for many moons!
It is better so shift the blame to someone else than to admit you have done something wrong. What is wrong with this picture? Mmm... let me see...!! What is wrong? You are wrong!!! When you blame others, you are not taking responsibility for your own actions.
In fact, when you blame someone else, you are missing the part where you can learn from your mistakes and move on. When you blame someone else, you don't take a good look at your own inner person and look for changes you can make to rectify the problem. So... you are really becoming a product of others around you.
"It was not me. My neighbour told me we should rob that cafe." I am sorry, you are saying what?? It was not your neighbours fault. Everyone of us must make our own decisions!!! You could have made the decision to CHOOSE not to rob that cafe! All of us has a choice!!! No one can force you to do something that you don't want to do!
So come on! Decide today that you are not going to blame others, but that you are going to do introspection, rectify mistakes you have made and become a responsible person, taking the blame for your own mistakes and learning from them!
O yes, in a country torn apart, this seems like the great option! Those guys are not thinking the same way as I do, so... I will just start a war and kill them all. Then nobody will stand in my way.
But... what if you are wrong? What if your ideas is not the right ideas and you go to war? Yes, you will kill the people that frustrates you so much, but will you benefit in the long run? Will that give you inner peace? Will you stop when you have killed all the people that you think is the problem, or will other people with other views come up again? So will you keep on killing until only you and your family remains behind? Is that really what you want?
Let's look at war. Again the innocent and weak suffer. Take any war you like: Vietnam or the Anglo Boer war in South Africa. Who suffered the most? In a war situation the women and children is always suffering at the hand of the enemy. Why? Because if they rape and kill the women and children, they are breaking the spirit of the enemy, thus forcing them to stop the war and just give over.
So in a war situation a lot of people die, but most of them is innocent women and children that never had something to do with the reason the war was started in the first place. War is a game of men trying to prove something. For men it is a game of strategy, but...too many innocent people loose their lives.
And at the end the country and many buildings is destroyed. So after the war you have to start to rebuild again - costings millions to a crippled country! Where is the logic in that? War is definitely not an option, but is the worst decision any person or country can make!
What is the solution then?
Well, the options are not too many, but their are solutions.
1. HOPE
In a country torn apart, there is not a lot of hope.
The second need on the basic need scale of any human is: Safety. That means security of body, work, health, morality and your family. In a torn up country, violence is at it's worst. Therefore people loose hope not understanding that one of their basic human needs has been violated!
This can be a big problem, because when you loose hope, you don't want to fight for survival. You just want to work, go home and lock yourself up, praying that you will survive the night! Then your drive becomes: food, water, sleep and breathe - basic insticts! So your are just staying alive, not living!
Restoring hope is the best thing any one in a country can do! And it just takes one person to start the change. You can start the change and live it out so much that others would also want to change. How do you restore hope?
1. Give your heart to God - that is the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit
2. Look past the stumble blocks in your way and up to Jesus! That way you do not see the stumble blocks anymore, but only Jesus!
3. Let Jesus become your HOPE!
4. Talk to Him and even moan when you are having a bad day or something is bothering you. Just sharing your life with Him makes the biggest difference ever!!!
5. You will start to have hope in your heart, and it will grow and grow the nearer you get to the Lord - guaranteed!!!
2. LOVE
I'm not talking about erotic love or self love! I am talking about real agape love - God's love. Wait, wait, before you destroy me with your looks... Just think about this:
When you have God's love in you, the following happens:
- You stop to think only of yourself and think about others around you
- You WANT to become a good Samaritan, doing good deeds to others.
- You WANT to help someone that has a problem or a need
So... if you look at it that way, how can love help in a land torn apart?
1. YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE THROUGH THE EYES OF JESUS.
Your heart changes and because your heart changes, you don't see the colour of someones skin, where they live or what they do. You just see a person in front of you with a need, and someone you can love with the love of the Lord.
2. GOOD SAMARITAN
You are always looking for things you can help others with! Whether it is carrying the grocery packages for an old lady to her car, or just standing with a child (of another race) that is lost, until the mother pitches up - YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!!!
You really care about the people around you and you would not want something bad to happen to them and their kids. So you become just as protective of their belongings and their lives as you are with your own belongings and family. You pray for those around you and ask God to protect them also!!
3. YOU TRY YOUR BEST TO UNDERSTAND THE OTHER PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW
Because you love God, you try to have peace and spread peace. This is the reason you would try to listen to another person's point of view and try to understand things from their side!
And the interesting fact is: the more you listen to the other person's point of view, the better you get to understand them, have empathy with their situation and the nearer your hearts and minds grow together! At the end you will both walk out, satisfied because today you have started to build a bridge where there was no bridge at all!!!
4. LOVE CONQUERS ALL!
So here you are - loving all those around you and trying to help them out the best way you know to. And something in your heart starts to change. You actually start to love other people with the love of God!
You have more understanding for them, more empathy, much more willingness to help them out no matter what the problem. And suddenly you realize that love really conquers all!!!
With love you can start to build up a country torn apart - one person at a time. But the best thing about love conquering all is that you start to teach others through your love!
Once your love has touched their hearts, they cannot do anything else but pay that love forward to somebody else. And another, and another, until you have a caring nation of people that really understand each other, respect each other and want to help building up the land and it's people again.
So... here you have 2 great answers to help your country that is torn apart. The biggest question now is:
* Are YOU going to make a difference?
* Will YOU start a revolution of hope and love right there were you are??
That answer my friend is now in your hands!!
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