Nelson Mandela passed away today. Some say he changed the world, though more than anything else he changed his own world and the world of those who surrounded him.
As i look back upon his life, Nelson Mandela gave much of his life to fight for the rights of his people and to liberate his homeland from apartheid. The protest of a seemingly angry young African, though he peached peace and non violence, drew a loyal following of revolutionaries. Imprisoned as a traitor he endured 27 years of suffering, many of which included forced labour.
Yet prison didn’t break Mandela, nor create a stone cold heart. No suffering could break his spirit, but something did beak his heart. It was not the pain of his suffering, but the pain for his people and the love of his land. He learned bitterness could never become the way forward, for it is in bitterness the enemy wins. So prison did not become a place of loss or defeat, but a place of deep seeking and preparation for what lay ahead.
Mandela developed extraordinary grace under pressure, long before he was freed. Grace to have compassion on those who have suffered and reconcile with his enemies. It was suffering that made his spirit sweet, and grew the grace later needed to lead his beloved land.
From prisoner to peacemaker, he brought reconciliation to his land. Mandela's sweet spirit identified with all black and white, and never made anyone feel as if they were any less than him.
May the sweet spirit of this man be an inspiration to us all.
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