Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Call for Strength

Vancouver, British Columbia

Josh, my flying partner to Vancouver, is in some anxiety over his grandmother. Someone broke into her home in the middle of the night, tied her up and gagged her. What's worse, is that the culprit ran away with many of her valuables. This happened just yesterday in her Durban home in South Africa.

This type of occurrence is very commonplace in South Africa, which is a beautiful country with good souls. In recent years, it has become socially a tough place to live in. There are many horror stories there of people losing belongings due to theft and sometimes even losing lives. Josh lost his father five years ago. He was murdered in his own home.

He was a lovely man. I remember meeting him. He was deeply devotional. He was also a runner. Everyday he ran and participated in marathon runs. He was very much a community and family man. He very much reflected the South African spirit, the spirit of warmth.

When I was first introduced to South African folks years ago, I was told that they have honey coated hearts. People there are receptive to spirituality. They have a lot going for them, but they often find themselves living in a dark cloud of violence, disease and crime. You may be lead to wonder why these people have to go through this?

That question may be difficult to answer, but what we might gain from the observation of South Africa, is that there is no assured shanti or peace in this world. The challenges that come our way are an impetus to call for strength.

So call for strength Josh! Call for strength! Chant in the mood to call for strength!

5 Km