Introduction
A close look at our contemporary society will show that we are a closely knit community. We take joy in making others smile. This is why when you are a man and busy minding your own business and you see an elderly lady struggling to carry a heavy load, you simply offer to help her without any request on her part. When you do that nobody will need to tell you that you have done well. The inner man inside of you will jump with joy. You may even develop a spring in your step as you walk away from that humble but powerful assignment.
Our Rural Testimony
You may also want to consider the way we live especially in our rural homes. Our homesteads are closely linked or intertwined. That is why even herd boys get to look after livestock in shifts because there is a close fellowship between members of a community. You will even observe that the people in a certain community can actually trace their origins to a common ancestor.
We cherish the ties that bind us as a people. The desire to belong to a social group or a tribe is what gives us a sense of validation. We believe something is important because our community shares similar sentiments. This also explains why we come up with certain building patterns within our various community. What in essence we are doing is clearly establishing signature marks as our benchmark.
Helping is a part of us
We always get our satisfaction from making others benefit from our initiative. A service is work done for the benefit of others. We are indeed social animals who thrive in becoming a part of something useful. We go and help others who are vulnerable so that they also feel loved and being a part of our community. We focus on ploughing our fields first as nature demands, but once we are done, we begin to help our less privileged fellow villagers. We even spare a thought for the widows and orphans. We even used to share our food with strangers and provide shelter for the foreigners. However envy, greed, malice, adultery and many ill vices have destroyed our DNA of goodness.
Something has changed
We used to be the Africa of love. The oasis of peace and joy. We used to be a home for the homeless. We were the nurturing continent. We used to speak with a single voice. We were a people focused and determined. No wonder we had the wisdom to pioneer civilisation in ancient Egypt. We were our brothers’ keepers. We had broad robust shoulders to make others lean on us. We were so loving such that we even housed the Messiah for a number of years from the wrath of King Herod. I even remember growing up in huge family where we really did not know who was who. We were still happy to be one huge family, the bills did not matter then, somehow the Lord provided. Even in our lack we shared the little we had until the overflowing joy of our hearts made it our abundance. We never allowed people to enter our homes and go out without eating our food. We used to believe that when we fed people God would in turn feed us. We may not have had a proper understanding of Christianity, but we loved each other with all sincerity. The last time I checked in the Holy Book, love covers a multitude of sins.
The Community is vanishing
Allow me to apologise ahead of time. I do not claim to know much, let alone everything. Yet surely I have eyes and they have seen terrible transformations take place. Even soccer coaches know this secret, you do not change a winning team. Others even declare that you do not fix something that is not broken. We seem to have done exactly that. We have destroyed the nucleus family. We have divided it jointly and severally. It is no longer visible. The ties that bind us have turned into water vapour and since evaporated. We have introduced strange behaviours into our homes. We have indeed forgotten the ways of the Holy of Israel. We have become a generation of seekers of things and killers of relationship. We adore things and trample over people. We have reduced relationships to a stash of notes. We have reneged on our vows of honour and become a people who are not a people.
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Our value systems are now warped up. We are broken and we are breaking those around us. We have turned the earth into a jungle, where we relegate each other to prey or predator depending on our levels of dominion. We have forgotten to show mercy, yet we demand it day and night. We have trampled on the rights of the vulnerable and even burnt some of them to death. The ground is refusing to yield her strength to us because it has swallowed the blood of our brothers and sisters whose lives were terribly cut short. We have become a shameless generation, bossing our authority over others.
There is Hope
Although we have messed ourselves up, there is one whose mercy can turn our mess into a message. There is hope in the person of Jesus Christ who anticipated our failure ahead of time. He was manifested for this very purpose, to destroy the works of godlessness. There is hope yet in Him. Those who turn to Him shall not be ashamed. Even though their shortcomings may be darker than blood He will redeem them. We need to get back to the cross. Jesus Christ remains the ultimate leader. Let us follow Him and redeem our generations.
May the winner in you rise to conquer?
Dr Ted Msipa is Pastor, Author, Visionary and Public Speaker based in Maseru, Lesotho. He writes here in his personal capacity and view shared here do not necessarily reflect those of Africa News 24. He solves organisational development challenges and leadership challenges. Dr Ted can be reached on Coachted117@gmail.com or on +266 63177309.
