Dit was maar nog vroeg in my man se hofmakery toe ons twee by Didi in die Kaap gaan kuier. Met een van ons daguitstappies beland ons toe by die Waterfront in die ry vir Robbeneiland-toerkaartjies.
Ewe ordentlik maak ons altwee opmerkings oor die mooi weer en watter interessante goed ons seker daar sal sien. Maar hoe nader ons aan die toonbank beweeg, hoe minder raak my inhibisies en ek vra toe sommer reguit: “Is jy ooit lús om te gaan?”
“Nie regtig nie,” antwoord hy toe, “maar gedink jy wil graag gaan?”
Dit was amper ‘n vinnige R700 (wat nie een van ons regtig kon bekostig nie) in die water.
Alles net omdat ons twee nog te “ordentlik” was om dinge te sê soos wat dit is.
Weet nie van jou nie, maar ek is effens moeg om alewig om heilige olifante in die kamer te trippel. Soveel as wat ek konflik haat, voel ek deesdae dat die energie wat dit neem om al om-en-om-en-om die opsigtelike, maar skynbaar onaantasbare affêre te dans, my net te veel dreineer.
Dalk kom dit met die jare?
Dalk besef jy met elke kersblaasseremonie hoe die tyd vir onbenullighede ook minder raak.
Dalk moet my veertigerjare gevier word met die mantra: “Kom-uit-met-die-waarheid-en-maak-gou.”
Julle gedagtes hieroor sal verligtend wees.
Dit is wat vir my so verfrissend is oor The Good Doctor, ‘n reeks wat tans op DSTV wys. Die goeie dokter is Shaun Murphy, ongeveer 27jr oud en ‘n briljante sjirurg in opleiding in een van Amerika se beste hospitale. Shaun Murphy het outisme.
Dit beteken dat Shaun geen probleem het met die idee van “kom-uit-met-die-waarheid-en-maak-gou” nie. ‘n Paar van sy pittige aanhalings bly my by:
“We all die.
If we accepted that,
we’d be happier.”
“They didn’t know me.
They didn’t know that I was going to make a good surgeon.”
“I don’t know what it feels like to be anyone but me.”
“Why does it matter who gets the credit?”
In Shaun se wêreld sê almal altyd wat hulle bedoel en kan hulle aksies direk met hulle intensies verbind word. Die Israeliete waarvan ons in Joshua lees, kon dalk heelwat leer by dr. Shaun Murphy…
Daar was twee-en-‘n-half stamme wat eers saam getrek het om die ander Israeliete te help veg vir grondgebied. Maar toe die laaste ooms en tannies mooi in hulle nuwe plaashuise tuisgemaak is, was dit tyd vir hulle om terug te keer na hulle eie streke toe.
Hulle grond was egter aan die ander kant van die Jordaanrivier en toe hulle daar deur is, stop hulle alles en bou daar eers hulle eie altaar langs die rivier.
Die res van die Israeliete was woedend toe hulle dit hoor! Volgens hulle het hierdie paar stamme nou sommer ingeval by die goddelose mense van wie hulle die grond weggevat het, en aanbid hulle seker nou vreemde gode sommer saam met hulle daar by die nuwe altaar!
Die Israeliete werk hulle toe goed op en stuur ‘n paar leiers om met die leiers van hierdie twee-en-‘n-half stamme te gaan praat:
All of the Lord's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the Lord by building that altar.
Why are you rebelling against him?
…If you don't stop rebelling against the Lord at once,
He will be angry with the whole nation.
If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the Lord's own land, where His sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the Lord our God or against us by building another altar besides the Lord's own altar. Joshua 22:16, 18
Hulle het gedink hulle sien alles, weet alles en gaan beslis nie alles verdra wat hulle gesien en geweet het nie. Maar slim is toe nie so slim nie…
The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered:
The Lord is the greatest God! We ask Him to be our witness, because He knows whether or not we were rebellious or unfaithful when we built that altar. If we were unfaithful, then we pray that God won't rescue us today. Let us tell you why we built that altar, and we ask the Lord to punish us if we are lying.
We didn't build it so we could turn our backs on the Lord.
We didn't even build it so we could offer animal or grain sacrifices
to please the Lord or ask His blessing.
We built that altar because we were worried…
Someday your descendants might tell our descendants, “The Lord made the Jordan River the boundary between us Israelites and you people of Reuben and Gad. The Lord is Israel's God, but you're not part of Israel, so you can't take part in worshiping the Lord.”
…Now your descendants will never be able to say to our descendants,
“You can't worship the Lord.”
But if they do say this, our descendants can answer back, “Look at this altar our ancestors built! It's like the Lord's altar, but it isn't for offering sacrifices. It's here to remind us and you that we belong to the Lord, just as much as you do.
Joshua 22:22-29
Wanneer mense met mekaar begin praat, eerlik en sonder bymotiewe, kan hele volkere gered word.
Phinehas and the clan leaders left Gilead and went back to Canaan to tell the Israelites about their meeting with the Reuben and Gad tribes. The Israelites were happy and praised God. There was no more talk about going to war and wiping out
the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
Joshua 22:32,33
Hoekom wil ons mekaar so graag dood sien?
Praat sal dalk nie alles regmaak nie.
Maar dit kan.
Jou temalied vir die week: Just be you!