Hope Rises from the Ashes

We arrived as the last of their belongings were being pulled from the charred shell that was once their home. Mama Mabaso said she heard it was started by a candle left burning on the bedside table. The only thing that was absolute in this moment was that in a single afternoon the lives for three people in the village of Umphumulo forever changed. It’s difficult to explain the scope of something like this to an American audience that lives in a world of insurance, legalities, and an overall greater pool of wealth. And though I’m by no means trying to minimize the effects of destruction that comes with house fires in the US, or any other type of disaster, the fact of the matter is that the process of rebuilding one’s life is very different here and at times becomes a seemingly impossible task. Before the final flames were extinguished families started to arrive with food, blankets, and clothing to share with those who lost everything. This outpouring of Ubuntu reminds me of the early church and its social dynamics of communal support for one another. This idea is highlighted in Acts 4:32&34-35, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common…There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what they sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” I found myself in awe at the site, as if I was witnessing a meeting of the early Christians. Adults were comforting each other, praying and discussing ways to help, children running and playing tag around the clothes line, a few men looking through the charred furniture and household goods to try and salvage pieces of their neighbor’s former life. As I stood by the bedroom window peering into the blackened room of ashes I bowed my head and said a prayer asking for God’s intervention of comfort. It was one of the most heartfelt emotional prayers I have ever offered; I knew that the road ahead would be one of immense struggle for this family. They had spent years saving to buy this beautiful, humble 4 room house perched on top of one of the many hills that dot the landscape of the village. And now, it was gone, with only a few cabinets, a hotplate, and the clothes on their backs they would now contemplate the next step. With no money to pay for an insurance policy (the stunning reality of many black South Africans) they won’t be able to rebuild. Thankfully they have family nearby, who will take them in, indefinitely, which is customary in Zulu culture. If some one loses one’s home, it is the duty of their closest relative to provide them with shelter. Same goes for children who lose their parents, if there are relatives nearby, they must take in, and care for the children. This is why many homes are overflowing in KwaZulu-Natal and much of South Africa. HIV/AIDS, natural disasters, fires, and other life-changing events have created a culture of bearing the burdens of all families together within the community. Although it is a beautiful part of the Ubuntu way of life, all too often the stresses of such a practice can make survival nearly impossible. But, as with everything else here, people find a way, they pick up the pieces, they move on, and they do so with a faith in God that rarely waivers during life’s storms. It is this idea that I cherish most within the Zulu culture and one I hope to bring with me when I leave this land in August. I hope not only to keep it as a principle of which to strive towards, but to put it into daily practice. I think that we, as Americans, get too caught up in the rat-race of our lives. We lose sight of the values instilled in us by our Creator. God has given us all an ability to deal with life’s storms in ways that are both constructive and positive. He has equipped us with a sense of shared responsibility for our fellow brothers and sisters. All too often our busy lives of excess, wealth, and future-based thought processes create a vacuum into which much of reality get sucked away,becoming a foreign understanding. We’ve are in bondage to a life of coffee runs, meetings, school activities, business trips, TV programming, internet addiction (come live in South Africa if you want to kick that habit), and texting mayhem. We’ve become alien to the very existence God has created for us. Now I’m not suggesting a Starbucks boycott, severing ties with clients, nixing the school play, and throwing out the TV and computer, but I am suggesting that we begin to look closer at the lives we lead. Are we really living our daily lives walking in the light of Christ? Do we find God’s purpose in our daily actions and interactions with His creation? When is the last time you skipped American Idol to teach a child to sing? When was the last time you bought a cup of coffee for the homeless man on the corner instead of a double espresso latte for yourself? When was the last time you helped out your neighbor in their time of need? I ask these questions not because I’m some saint who has been engaging in such a life myself, I’m asking because quite the opposite is true. Before coming to South Africa I never honestly connected with the selfless side of my being. Sure I helped with my church’s Creation Care Team, pitched in with Sunday school, and raised money walking in the annual Minnesota HIV/AIDS Walk, but these are all things that fall under the “sometimes Christ-like” category. I’m not talking about being guilted into a life of service, I believe this only results in empty actions, not faith-based ones. What I am trying to say is that we need to look deeper into scripture to search for our inspiration and be true to God's purpose in our daily lives. No one has all the answers; no magic key exists to unlock Christ’s teachings to better our lives, sorry Joel Osteen. Instead this is the work of the Holy Spirit alive in us combined with an internal motivation to allow Her to work through us. Luther was a role model in his dissection and questioning of scripture, his formulation of faith, and his understanding of Grace. We need to take Luther’s lead and let go of rigid preconceptions of what the Word means, instead allowing the living, breathing Word to speak to us and inspire us in our daily lives. Living “sometimes Christ-like” is a great start to living Christ-like consistently. It’s an enriching experience witnessing Ubuntu first hand. Seeing all of those families in my village who reached out immediately during their neighbors’ time of need was a lesson to us all. There was no email sent to them entitled “We’ll try and think of something” or a phone message left saying “I’ll check to see what I can do and get back to you”. No, they simply dropped what they were doing and pitched in. Times of great struggle often happen under the worst circumstances and to the most forgotten among us. The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are fresh reminders of this fact. I am always amazed and touched by the outpouring of support from people all over the world during these times. These acts of kindness give us all hope that no matter what flames engulf our lives, we can and we will rise from the ashes. We need to see the needs of our brothers and sisters both in a global context and in our own back yards. How can we, as Christians, apply this mentality to our daily lives? Why does it take a global catastrophe to spawn such a response? Where was the outpouring of global support for Haiti during decades of decay and despair? Why do we decide to stop the bickering, withdraw our motives, put down our weapons, and extend our hands only in these times? And why does it sometimes seem easier for us to send help and money to the rural village in Africa, Asia, or South America while ignoring those in need in our own communities? These questions will continue to haunt humanity until we can find a way to really become one with God’s dream. But that dream has already been cast in an understanding that our collective good will outweigh the bad, that our faith in God and each other can surpass anything, and by keeping the love of Christ in our hearts we will ultimately walk the paths of justice and compassion. It will take time to get to this point of interconnected understanding, but it can start with you, me, us. Take some time observing your community’s needs in the coming days and weeks. Once you have a better understanding of those needs, make a plan to engage yourself. Only if it is one day of volunteering at a soup kitchen, tutoring a child, donating clothes, or walking for a cause; it is one step closer to realizing God’s dream. Imagine what your community would look like if each person took one day to engage themselves in this way. What a difference it could make, how many lives could be positively transformed? Much like the communities of rural KwaZulu-Natal we all are called to bare the burdens in each others’ lives; it is the meaning of the cross of Christ. As we experience the glory of Easter born from the reflective season of Lent consider what you can do in your community to help its own transformation into new life. What blankets, food, and clothing will you bring to comfort those in need? How can we help others rise from the ashes and give them hope? Lets truly become Easter people and fulfill God’s will!