World Changers pt. 4....

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." -Nelson Mandela

Have you ever felt like you know someone so well that sometimes you hear their voice speaking softly to you? Have you ever felt that way about someone you've never met? If not, than I'm not sure you are really going to understand this post because what I have to say about Nelson Mandela is personal and intimate and leaves me feeling vulnerable. Yes, Nelson Mandela is a World changer, I think there aren't many who would disagree with me on that. But Nelson Mandela is in this particular blog series because of how I hear his voice speaking softly to me.

I was fourteen the first time I heard the word "apartheid" and the person I heard it from was Mel Gibson. I was watching Lethal Weapon 2 for the first time and South Africa happened to be a major plot point. I had no idea what was going on. I was embarrassingly ignorant. I suppose many fourteen year olds are. I didn't think much of this word that I didn't understand, but God filed it away in my heart for later. Four years ticked by and I found myself standing on the greenest mountain I had ever seen, looking out at South Africa- a country that would fundamentally define me.

Me and the wonderful humans that I traipsed around Africa with in 2002.

While I was in South Africa I fell in love- madly, deeply, permanently with everything and everyone I encountered. So when I returned stateside I started to read everything I could about this country that meant so much to me. Among the various books and articles was Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. And it was there among the pages of Mandela's life that we met. It was there that I first discovered the heart and strength of a man who I had never met and it was there that he changed my world. 

I found so many things inspirational about the life that Nelson Mandela lived. I'm sure many people do. As one of the leaders for racial equality and justice in South Africa he affected countless lives. But he changed my world because of something we don't learn about in school. When I read his memoir I was struck that he didn't shine his life up before presenting it to the world. He was honest, sometimes brutally so, about the way he grew up, the mistakes he made, and the regrets he had. He wasn't trying to present the world with the perfect legend that they could build their house upon- he was just writing his story and that story was messy. He wasn't a perfect man, but that didn't mean God couldn't use him to move mountains. 

In 2009 I traveled back to South Africa for the third time. On this particular trip I had the immense honor of visiting Robbin Island (the prison that Mandela was held in during his 27 years of unjust capture). Today on Robbin Island the guides are men that were actually imprisoned during apartheid. They walk you through the facility telling you their story of the fight for justice. I cannot express how powerful that is. I do not have words for it. I was mesmerized by these men. My brain and heart just couldn't fathom how they put one foot in front of the other after the injustice they faced. Towards the end of my tour our group ended up in front of Nelson Mandela's cell. Here was the tiny room he lived in for almost all of those 27 years. Here he lived- protesting the injustice of his people. Here he lived- caged up like an animal because his voice and his strength terrified those in power. Here he lived- with poise and strength. 

Mandela's cell

I walked into that cell and stood there for what felt like hours. Tears poured down my face as I touched the bars and looked out the window. I had church in that small cell that day. As I walked back into the yard and felt the cold, African breeze whip by my face I heard Mandela's voice in my heart for the first time. I heard his voice asking me what I was willing to do when it came to the battle for what is right. I heard him asking me if I would stand up even if it cost me everything. Today when I find that fear is taking me over and I don't know how to overcome it I close my eyes and I hear that voice. I see the bars and I feel the cold, loneliness of isolation. I hear Nelson Mandela asking me to stand up. This man- he changed my life by living his with strength and courage.

The following is the speech that Mandela gave on the day he was released from jail. Watch it and let yourself be challenged to live with courage. 

Nelson Mandela's Release in 1990