A Miracle Nation We Should Never Forget

Corruption, poverty, a weakening economy … the media is full of this news and us, the citizens of South Africa, are falling into the trap of forgetting that we are a Miracle That Is Still Rising. This blog post looks back at our REAL HERITAGE … a beautiful heritage that shook the world … something so incredible that we, who are blessed to be a part of it, should never, ever forget…

Watching South Africa celebrate our recent Heritage Day, I have been deeply troubled; a country that has the most diverse and miraculous heritage, with some of the most iconic figures in human history, it has pained my heart to see how much we have forgotten and how cheaply we value our nation and ourselves.

A braai day … really?
Sure, it’s a good thing to gather around, disregarding racial differences, and to enjoy a good time of fellowship … but we do this every weekend … well, not every weekend, but often enough for it to have no significant meaning, other than a day off work. But is this what Heritage Day is all about, or are we missing the point and losing our bearings?

Steve Biko, Chris Hani, Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk (2 Nobel Peace Prize Winners), Oliver Tambo, Francois Pienaar, Joel Stransky, Desmond Tutu and the list goes on…
World Changers.
In the face of absolute hopelessness, South Africa shook the world and took an unprecedented, free and fair, violence-free step into freedom.

Do you remember?

People fled the country,
those who stayed, stocked up on canned foods, fearing the worst … but the worst didn’t come.

And then there was the Rugby World Cup, 1995. Arguably, one of the greatest moments in world history, where a nation that was segregated by pure hatred, all flooded onto the streets, in total unity. Something changed, at a depth that we will never fathom, and things could never go back to the way it was.

We are a Miracle Nation. We have overcome what the rest of the world had never managed. We are pioneers. World leaders. This is our heritage, it’s more than a braai.
When we remember where we have come from, then we are able to fully grasp where we are.
When we grasp and accept our present context, then we are able to see the Path that we have walked.
And only when we are able to see the Path we have walked, are we able to understand where we are going.

Truthfully, when we, as South Africans, look back and remember …
when we see the ground that we have covered …
there is no way that we can not be excited about where we are going.
Sure, we have our issues … we’re human beings, please show me one who does not have issues, but it does not mean we are failing. No, we are bigger than that. We are a Miracle Nation, and we are still rising…

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