On this first day of 2015, I wish you a wonderful 2015! I have lately been pondering on the parallel between planting trees and making long term changes and investments in life. This is my wish for us in our personal and spiritual life as well as for communities and our beloved country.
South Africa needs more power. Yes electricity, but not only
electricity, we also need a skilled labour force. Building electricity generation plants take
many years and needs to be initiated on time to meet future demands. Similarly
we need to educate and train the youth to become business people, engineers,
teachers, lawyers, accountants, artisans etc.
The list is endless, but we need good skills to produce services and
products that we can sell on the international market and earn much needed
foreign currency. The power plants and education is like trees that we need to
plant now to be able to harvest in 25 years’ time. If you fail to plant now you
and your children will not reap the benefits. There is no short term solution
or a quick fix. A large pine tree is not
3 or 4 years old, it is more like 25 to 35 years old.
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| Pine trees planted years ago not yet ready to be harvested |
As families we need to spend more quality time to build
character and lead by example. As I am
now a grandfather I realize that my grandparents, uncles and aunts have all
played a part in my life. We all make
mistakes, but it is how we handle the mistakes that change the result. We need to confess and correct our mistakes. We should bear the fruit of the spirit – “But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law.” Galatians 5:22-23 New International
Version (NIV)
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| Sustainable harvesting. Leave some to be harvested next year and the following years. Plant as you harvest. |
May we in 2015 be like the man in Psalm one:
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in
step with the wicked
or stand in the way
that sinners take
or sit in the company
of mockers,
2 but whose delight
is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on
his law day and night.
3 That person is like
a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its
fruit in season
and whose leaf does
not wither—
whatever they do
prospers.
New International Version (NIV)
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| Succession planning! Plant for the next generation to harvest. |
