During this past Sunday's sermon, Reverend Joel referred to a previous sermon he had preached last fall. It referenced the lives of three well-known Black leaders:
Mugabe, a man who was once was imprisoned, rose to power and ruined his country.
Martin, a man who was once imprisoned, influenced politics and became a key figure in changing the laws regarding racial and social justice in the U.S.A.
Mandela, a man who was once imprisoned, became an international symbol of the demise of apartheid and an example of the right way to do "succession planning".
Why is it that Mugabe did not have the same long-term legacy as Martin or Mandela?
In a word, humility. Reverend Joel shared with us that, when a man is able to recognize his strength without lording it over others, there results an environment in which men and women are empowered to do good. There is an example modeled in which men and women recognize that they, too, can be among the great influencers of the world without being cocky or rude.
We have two tenors: that is, we have two conditions. There is pride, and there is humility. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela? Definitely humility won the day in the transformative work of these men. Robert Mugabe? Well, as the Bible says, "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). The land of Zimbabwe stands as testimony to the destructive consequences of the pride of man.
What about us? What tenor fuels the work we do?
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