So here we are – at the point where life has brought us. Undoubtedly, there have been positives, negatives, learning’s, mistakes, successes, hopes and dreams. Every step that we have been through has been a necessary, integral part of our journey to bring us to our destiny, to prepare us for something new, and to help us though life.
I myself face raising a beautiful, talented, four year old blessing of a daughter. Of course, she is constantly testing mom and I. From time to time, this raises questions within me, brings me to various points of introspection, questioning of my approach, and the overall meaning of why God has given her to us.
Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed with the thought “the folly of.” The Bible says that it “pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Okay – I do not intend to impose my beliefs on you. Let's relax. But it does strike me that the uppermost purpose for living, the act of belief in your God (or higher being, whoever He may be) is associated so directly with foolishness. Is this perhaps God’s humble way to move man – with his sometimes loftiness to move towards considering the state and end his fallible, earthly existence and consider the “beyond?”
We received news this morning of a family struck with grief by passing away of their dad, Wayne. For the last two or three years, he fought with cancer and has now graciously been called away from his suffering. I met him once only – seemed a really likeable and jovial chap. I liked him. The news of his passing away has taken my mind to what is humanly the most important thing. That is significance.
I won't claim to have any answers, or any advice, or any 5 step plan to ensure that you are the best that you can be, and that you leave everything in a better state than you find it, or that you ensure that you reach your potential by changing the world, being kind to yourself and your family. I’ll simply say this... there’s beauty in each of us, and blesses are those who discovery this, learn from it, use it and become significant.
So I want to make it my life’s sole purpose to teach our little girl optimism and love and beauty, because in the end, that what I want her to remember me for.
Significance – Eldon Phukuile, 11 January 2012
Consider the beauty of nature
How the green leaves, in perfection, adorn the trees
And yet, we know that it is temporary
Do they know it? Perhaps no, but in optimism and grace
They do their work, and give beauty and food to the world
Summer comes, and they are here. Then winter and they fall away
And in His eternal grace, God reminds us that we too, will do the same
We rise, we fall. We try again
To show to the world, to those around us that we have optimism
That we have beauty, that we have chance and opportunity
To rise up, to fight, to pursue
The dreams, the goals and the significance that we are born to have
And though life is a struggle, and the world is full of challenges
That we, in our small little way
Can, and ought to
Do our level best to show those who follow
The beauty, the optimism. The potential that they too have
The God given talent and inspiration that each one of us can share
The great positive impact that we can have on each other
Because our success in the future cannot happen without the future
And what we do today, we do for tomorrow – whether we accept it or not
So even though it seems folly
Let us consider the abounding optimism and beauty and power that we all have
And radiate it to the world
We need to work, we need to struggle, but in the end
The green leaves come, the brown leaves fall
And then the tree’s life ends
So, no man comes to the end of his life and wants to be surrounded
By his advisor, his banker and his stockbroker
He seeks to gather those around him
That gave his life meaning
And that little bit of significance
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