mandela

Thinking about bridges and those who build them. 
In the year that the first world war ended, a baby was born to the Thembu royal family in Mvezo, in the Cape province of South Africa.  Despite his high-born status, no-one could have guessed that by the mid 1990’s this baby would grow up to become the first black President of a new, post Apartheid, South Africa. He was, of course Nelson Mandela.
on 11 February, 31 years ago, Mandela was released from prison by President De Klerk after completing 27 years of a life sentence handed down for conspiring to overthrow the State. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, and described as the "Father of the Nation" who helped end Apartheid, Mandela received over 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize. None of these things would have happened had De Klerk taken an alternative course of action. If he had feared difference rather than take a risk for peace, and allowed that prison door to remain shut with the enemy locked away out of sight and sound.
History is created by series of actions taken random people in different places, at different times and for many different reasons. The course of human history has been changed by a positive word, a hand extended in friendship, through risks taken to rebuild that which is broken, or through forgiveness sought and granted.
We need to steward our words and deeds well as they carry with them the potential to hurt or heal, to imprison or free, to diminish or raise up.