Dare to trust

Rather a million days of turmoil,
facing the world with nothing sure
but the One in control,
than one perfect day...
without You

Neglect

Many a mother comes to see me at the clinic with regard to the health and nutritional status of her young baby or infant.  Some come to ask questions and really want to better understand and care for their children.  Others come because the system sent them.  Either way, their infants are almost always in a stage of malnutrition.  It may be a cause of ignorance, but usually the main cause for these visits is due to neglect.  Neglect comes in many forms, and the effect influences many in many different ways, and always has a detrimental result.  In opposition to neglect is love, also something that comes in many forms, and through grace overcomes the opposing effects of neglect.

It seems that many of these women themselves experienced some kind of neglect.  Most are unemployed, struggling to get by and experience family pressure.  These women are being neglected by those near and those far along the line.  The unrighteousness of our modern affluent society is one of the major causes of the poor being forced, and having no choice then to try and make do with the little they have.  In talking to these women it seems that have some kind of an idea that Christ is Lord, but what they have learned from those appointed above them, be it those who reach out to them of leaders in their community, they have no comprehension of what that means.

Within the Kingdom of God we have been given the responsibility to love and care for our brothers, and even those outside our spiritual family.  In neglecting our responsibility of living as bearers of the Good News, we contribute to the suffering of so many so close to us.  We cannot right all the wrongs in this world, but we can be part of proclaiming the One who can.  If we keep on neglecting our younger brothers and sisters, withholding the spiritual food in our words and actions, they may be the ones becoming spiritually malnourished.

Can we continue looking away?

Skoenlapper-konvetti herinner aan die hemelse bruilof

Ek voel vandag soos ‘n opregte bruid, nie dat ek weet hoe dit voel nie, maar kan myself as ‘n bruid voorstel.  Terwyl ek gaan rus soek vir my onrustige gemoed op ‘n naby geleë berg, met weer wat wil-wil dreig om swaar te word, en die wind wat my hare woes waai is my oë geopen om duisende wit skoenlappers soos konvetti om my te sien.  Deur die wind die berg opgedra het hulle stromend my begroet asof ek die een is wat die kerk uitstap, my bruidegom aan my sy.  Inderdaad was dit ook Hy wat my daarheen gelei het, en my as sy bruid kom herinner het waarom ek hier is.  Hy het my nie net kom herinner en troos dat die hemelse heerlikheid wat Hy bestem het ver oortref die huidige verdrukking en ongelukkigheid van hierdie wêreld nie, maar het ook die roeping en taak kom herbevestig.  Die taak nie net vir my as enkeling nie, maar juis aan ons wat sy roeping as kerk, as Christus se liggaam, moet voltooi. 

As kerk, die bruid en vrou van die Allerhoogste, word ons opgeroep om te wees: dienaars van Hom en vir ander, in geloof werksaam, in liefde vol arbeid, en in verdrukking vol hoop.  Hy kom skets ook ons karakter deur van ons te verwag om verander te word om barmhartig, lankmoedig, vol liefde, beskeie, en behulpsaam te wees (om net 'n paar te noem).  Hierdie is nie eise wat swaar op ons rus nie, veral wanneer ons dit as liefdestaal sien, maar bekoorlike woorde wat Hy van sy bruid vertel.  Dis nie iets wat ons in eie krag moet verrig soos take nie, maar ‘n identiteit wat ons in Christus gelei word om te kan word.  

God het ons reeds aan Hom verbind, die belofte is gemaak, en die bruilofsmaal is gereed.  Ons word geroep om die wit bruilofskleed aan te trek, die ou lewe en vuil klere uit te trek en deur Christus oordek te word met die kleed van heiligheid en volmaaktheid. Hoe wonderlik heerlik is die huwelik nie juis om ons te herinner daaraan dat ons God se bruid is nie.  Dat elke dag eintlik ‘n gereedmaak is vir die hemelse bruilofsfees nie.  Dat ons gereed moet staan, as wakende, strydende en werkende dissipels, in afwagting vir die hemelse Bruidegom om te kom.  En sy belofte – Hy kom gou.  Daarom, alhoewel ons sug saam met die skepping, roep ons gees, “Kom Here Jesus, ja, kom gou!”

Liberty found in the unconditional nature of true love

The devastating disillusionment of unrequited love is more than numbingly painful; it is downright torture for the soul.  Daring to love and taking the chance to be loved is for many the hardest part of taking a chance of living.   Life is indeed to know the One who loved in full and to share that love.  Sometimes we follow others with so much haste in order to be guided along the paths of uncertainty. Losing focus of the true Leader when looking to find security in the world we may never discovering the precious sights and sounds spread in our way or identifying, facing, and fighting the monsters hiding behind the bushes.  Mislead to think our own thoughts have no meaning, our own voices have no song, and our own dreams are not worth sharing, we never dare to live our own stories.  Daring to live means daring to be human, to live the life granted, to live in full.  The whole of the human nature is centred on love, it is our deepest longing.  Being grated someone to love is indeed a blessing, and one we all long, dream, and pray for.  Striking out to walk the road before us, we dare to desire what we short-sightedly believe to be granted for us to desire.  Yet, if that love is not returned, if indeed our love is unrequited, it may be devastating, heart wrenchingly painful, demoralizing even.  

Knowing we desire something not meant to be does not help the healing process, but realizing that we may be desiring a love predestined for someone else may give rise to thought.  Love is an act of communion. The deepest and most fulfilling communion possible is that which God has with his bride.  The love between a man and a woman is an embodiment of something of that love.  We may be experiencing glimpses of that love every day when realizing the amazing and unthinkable grace when we discover the unconditional love that God has for us.  Trying to come to grips with the depth, and height, and breadth of that love we may come to be freed from the petty, short-sighted, narrow-minded, self-righteous desire to receive a love which is not ours.  It becomes so insignificant a love in the light of the eternal, unconditional, all-encompassing true love of God, that is does not even make sense why it was even desired in the first place.  The joy though, is to know that the desire was sent from God, to be fulfilled by Him, at the time He sees fit, and with someone He deems worthy for you to be sharing your precious journey with.

The Light of the Clinic

Die waarde van ʼn ma as lewe-gewer en ligdraers het vandag nuwe waarde gekry. In ‘n wagkamer in `n plaaslike kliniek kom die mammas van babatjies, peuters en kleuters maandae bymekaar vir hul gereelde ondersoeke. Party van die kinders is siek en huilerig, maar baie is rond, raserig, nuuskierig en gesond. Daarenteen is baie mammas stil en selfs somber weens die onbepaalde wagtyd.  Weens die armoede en werkloosheid word die mammas wel nie uit die werk gehou nie, maar tog word die potensiaal van die byeenkomste rakende gemeenskaplike ondersteuring en groei nie ontgin nie.

Oorlaai met lêers en dokumente val ek keer op keer die kliniek binne, maar altyd met ‘n glimlag en ‘n “Dumela, wena o kae?”.  Met volharding (of dalk dom astrantheid) het die groete begin vrugte afwerp.  Tog is verbale kommunikasie moeilik weens taal verskille.  Vandag was dit wel nie-verbale kommunikasie wat die aandag getrek het.

Die krioelende gesig wat my vandag by die kliniek begroet het, het gepaard gegaan met ‘n gees van buitengewone liefde en ontvanklikheid. Nuuskierig oor die troosryke liefdevolle gevoel, soos die van ‘n belofte van lewe, het ek ondersoek ingestel. Tot my verbasing ontdek ek ‘n ma wat met haar babatjie speel en straal van lewens vreugde soos haar vreugde voortvloei vanuit die kind se skater laggies.  Soos duistende skitterende klokkies verbreek dit die stil-swart-nag van onsekerheid en ellende wat hierdie vroue verstrik. O, die rykdom van ‘n gelukkige kind, maar meer onmeetbaar is die juweel van ‘n ma wat daardie kind se vreugde werk. Alhoewel die ma niks minder behoeftig en selfs armsaliger was as enige van die ander daar, en ten spyte van kwelvrae wat ek self nie kan dink draaglik is vir enige iemand, het daardie moeder gekies om uit dankbaarheid haar dogter te seën met haar selfopofferende liefdevolle teenwoordigheid om liefde en lig te bring. In dit – en onbewus – was sy vir die ander mammas ‘n inspirasie en vir party ‘n skaamte oor hul eie verwaarlosing van die taak om hul eie kinders so lief te hê.

My vraag aan jou liewe leser, is ons nie tog almal vir mekaar in ʼn mindere of meerdere mate na gelang van volwassenheid ‘n “ou vrou” soos vanuit Titus 2 nie?