BY NYASHA RUSHWAYA
We know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought, and decision we make, for their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories.
We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.
Today as we try and console the Berejena family for the loss of a great pillar. A great giant who did not only represent the Berejena family but represented Masvingo, Zimbabwe our cultural values and also preserved and promoted our culture. He was a repository of knowledge. May his soul continue to rest in peace. Dr Bernard Liveson Berejena
Death, the very word can trigger images of darkness, men and women in black, of grief and some fear, but God doesn’t want us to live in fear nor defeat. He wants us to live and die with the confidence that comes from knowing we belong to the victorious, risen King who defeated death when he rose on the cross and rose from the grave.
As we bid fare well to the late Dr Bernard Liveson Berejena, who was the principal at Bondolfi Teachers College, whereas a few days ago we had also lost another giant, Principal for Masvingo Teachers College and again our very own uprising artist Gary Mapanzure all in road accidents.
This then made Fr Richard Pundo to preach a very realistic and very relevant message to us for Masvingo is refusing to be comforted. We have had enough deaths our children are dying every day on the roads and as we thought we are done weeping another death struck again. Bringing more and more pain to the same people.
So, our reading was at Matthew 2;18 In the above message Rachel refused to be comforted just as we today refuse to be comforted as the Berejena family and Masvingo as a whole, but as we are in this phase lets allow a Benjamin story that happened or that presided which changed Benon to Benjamin.
So, its ok to refuse to be consoled right now but we will have to prepare our hearts to forget about what has happened and move on
Let’s leave everyday knowing that as we live today our days are very few and we ought to make each and every day count, we will have to get to our final resting place as this time comes, we will have to be prepared for it especially our souls.
Fr Richard Pundo went on to read the Naaman’s story in 2 kings 5 1-2. Naaman was said to be a very important person but as wealthy as he was, he was not spared from the deadly leprosy disease. So no matter what we go through in life. We all have our different stories. Whereby if one is given a space they will still want to understand why it is that way it is. Because if Naaman was that rich, why did he not buy the cure from other countries and all. But Naaman is said to have meet a little girl that told her about the river Jorden thus where he was supposed to go and wash himself.
Jordan River from ancient days till today it is known for its dirty water with mud along the sides and bugs floating on it. And this is the water that the rich Naaman was asked to bath from.
Everybody needs the help of God to excel in life. If you think with your strength alone you are achieving so much, you can achieve even much more with the help of God! In 2 Kings 5:1, the Bible calls Naaman a mighty warrior, but it was not his military prowess alone that gave him these great victories; it was God walking through him.
God is sovereign. Ordinarily, one would have thought that God would not be concerned about the politics of Syria (Aram), but 2 Kings 5:1 says, through Naaman, God gave great victories to Syria. God had a mission to fulfill through Syria, hence the victories He gave her. Ultimately, everybody is a potential tool in the hand of God. God can use anyone to achieve His purpose.
Everybody has an issue. Everybody is battling with one issue or the other in his life. People may look at someone and say they wish they were in his shoes, but they do not know where the shoe is pitching him; they do not know the battles he is fighting; they do not know he is being bothered by some problems. Not all that glitters is gold. Life is not a bed of roses – even roses have thorns. Every strong man has his weakness.
Make no excuses for your failure in life. As I have said, everyone has a weakness, no matter how strong he appears to be. All of us have both assets and liabilities. There is no perfect person; there is no perfect condition. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap”. The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” Do not surrender your destiny to your problems. Take advantage of adversity. The wind may be blowing contrary, but keep rowing your boat, and Jesus will show right there in your situation and turn things around (Matthew 14:23-27)
Follow protocol. Naaman was a loyal and obedient servant; he was loyal to the king of Syria. After his wife had told him what the slave girl from Israel said about the prophet in Israel, who was able to heal his leprosy, he went straight to inform the king. He did not bypass the king to go secretly to Israel to meet the prophet. He did not despise the authority of the king because of his position, power, and reputation. He followed protocol, knowing that the matter involved going to another country to seek help, which could be interpreted as disloyalty if the king was kept in the dark. He did not take the king for granted; he did not say he could handle it himself without the king’s knowledge.
It is not your responsibility to determine or recommend how God should heal you or meet your need. You cannot dictate to God the method He must use to solve your problem. I am not talking about setting a point of contact to receive your miracle, as the woman with the issue of blood did when she said if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she shall be made whole (Matthew 9:21). She was made whole.
Naaman nearly missed his divine healing, because he was angry that Elisha did not come to address him personally, but rather instructed him to go and dip in River Jordan seven times. He had a different idea about how God should heal him! He had disdain for River Jordan
In conclusion: “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:27). If Naaman had not obeyed the instruction of Elisha, to dip into River Jordan seven times, this statement would not have been recorded about him in the New Testament.
As you apply the lessons discussed in this message, I pray that your life will become a good example for people to learn from. May you stand out and be outstanding in Jesus’ name, and as we look at death we don’t have control over it.