We hosted a Taste and See event this weekend at Pangani, and in a lot of ways, God showed up big here. I have a draft version of some of the things I sensed God speaking to me, but I’m not prepared to share that as it’s still very unclear. Regardless of the clarity, I sense Him speaking to me about very specific things related to our work outside the Pangani community that I need to sort out with the community more in the coming weeks. Here’s a taste of what I saw at our “taste and see”.
Tom Smith, pastor of a stellar community in Jo-Burg, gave this illustration to me and Roger (one of the apprentices this year) during a break out session. He said, “post-Apartheid South Africa is like this: Tom says to Fred ‘Fred, I’m sorry. I stole your bike and I’d like you to forgive me.’ Fred says to Tom, ‘Ok, but where’s my bike?’ Tom goes on to say, ‘oh no, I just want forgiveness… this had nothing to do with your bike.’” Tom then went on to discuss the newer version of this for the next generation saying, “Tom went to Fred and said, ‘Fred my FATHER stole your bike, and I’d like your forgiveness.’ Fred turns to Tom and says ‘I forgive you, but let’s work together so both of our kids have a bike.’”
reconciliation… more than a simple “sorry”
Ja, Tom’s story is an excellent way to frame what the post-Apartheid journey is like. It was a great weekend!