South Africa, just like any other country, has its problems. One of the commonest cries one hears echoing from every corner of this country is the cry for unemployment. According to statistics South Africa we are (at the time of writing this) currently sitting at 35.3% unemployment rate, up by 0.4% from end last year. One can even argue that some problems we face as a country, like poverty and crime, may well be rooted, thus steming from this one. The logical outworking of this claim is not absolutely justifiable but absolutely clear, however is not the focus of this writing. The focus is to bring to light some treasures excavated from ancient wisdom that may be a solution to the problem at hand; unemployment that is.
When looking at some stories in the chronicles of ancient words, there is a recurring theme, a lesson almost impossible to be missed even by a person who is not looking close enough. If one is to adapt this lesson, I can assertively guarantee them that by doing so, they would have taken a few steps toward the light at the end of the tunnel. What lesson am I talking about? Perhaps let us look at some narratives that entail this theme so you can see for yourself.
In a certain City called Zarephath, there was a woman who had lost her husband. The woman was now left with their son and they had no source of income. It was during a drought season and whatever food they had had waned away and there was only a handful of flour and oil between them and starvation to death. One day she met a prophet who asked her for bread. After explaining their situation to him, he insisted on the bread and then he informed her of God’s promise that neither the flour nor the oil will be finished until there was rain again on their land. Indeed God kept His promise.
Have you heard of the great exodus from Egypt to Canaan? Well the leader of the throng for the greater part of the journey was a man called Moses. He was called by God Himself to the task. Moses gave some excuses prior to taking on the task and reasonably so. He was to stand before Pharaoh the king of Egypt and make a case for him to release Israelites who were, basically, property to the Egyptians because they were slaves and were thus responsible for a big part of building the infrastructure as well as the economy of Egypt. Now that’s a task for someone who really knows how to use words because a lot of convincing statements have to be made! The only problem is that Moses had a disfluent speech. Eventually God showed him that it is not Moses’ eloquence in speech that will set Israelites free but Him as God. I want to bring your attention to this. God asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?” “A rod”, He replied. He instructed him to cast it down and it turned to a snake. He used the same rod in Egypt and for many other miracles on the journey to Canaan. It was not the power of the rod that did all that, as it was nothing more that just wood, but that of God manifested in the rod.
There was a certain man who was travelling to another country. Before he left his place he gave some money to his servants for them to invest according to their capabilities. On his return most of the servants had doubled the capital amount in returns except for one who just saved it in “ fear” of losing the money. Atleast that’s what he claims to be his reason for not having returns. His employer seems to know better because he ascribes it to his laziness, perhaps that’s why he got one talent from the first place. Yep, that’s the story of talents in the book of Matthew. Be that as it may, that is not my focus.
Look at these 3 stories. A common factor to all of them is that there is a problem to be solved and the solution comes from the resources at each person’s disposal. For the woman the problem was starvation and what she had was flour and oil. That is what she used. Moses came across some problems and what he had was a rod, and that is what he used. For the servants, the problem was to make profit for their master and they used the resources they had at their disposal to do that. There you have it! A precious crystal from ancient words.
A lot of people are waiting for employment so they can be able to make a living. During their wait, some are totally ignorant of what they already have at their disposal, be it resources around them, ‘small’ opportunities or their inborn talents. As you have seen in the naratives; God uses the little one has and He multiplies it for the willing individual. “What is that in your hand?” is the same question He is asking. Look therefore around you and in you. What can you use to start something of your own?
God is there willing to subtend and multiply your good effort in pursuing your God-given talent and using the resources you already have. He is saying the same words he said to Gideon, “Go in the strength you have”. You do not need anymore things to start except starting. He will multiply your efforts, so long as you call him into it and meet the prerequisites.
Nkosi sikelela iAfrika ( God bless Africa). We must live and strive for freedom (including financial freedom) in South Africa our land. God is waiting to heal this land on individual level.
His message is clear:
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
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