Nelson Mandela died today.  His passing is mourned by millions all over the globe.  I am not Mandela expert nor do I believe we understand the totality of his life.  He is a human being like the rest of us.  Not all of his biography is nearly as noble as the years following his release from prison.  Some refer to him as a communist if not far worse.  What becomes clear is these last twenty years or so of his life are some of the most remarkable of recent history.  Now this is not going to be some generic eulogy written light years from the heart of his journey.  There seems to be several layers to this news.  Just glancing over various reports and websites will give you a clearer view of his meaning both past and present.  One of the layers of his story troubles me greatly.  The other seems far more uplifting.

It is true that Mandela embraced Marxist type philosophy for much of his life.  Yet his record as President of his country falls more in line with free market economics.  No one can doubt his influence on issues such as basic human rights and dignity.  I was glancing through a highly conservative website in terms of political orientation.  One editor relayed various tweets and other comments from like minded leaders in our country.  What absolutely angered me was the poisonous hatred from commenters about this death.  The comments ranged from the sublime, to the ridiculous to the ugly side of life.  I could not suggest any thinking person read those responses due to just how flat out ugly they became.  We like to imagine we are an enlightened society with our technology and education.  But our hearts remain bitter and small.  If another person disagrees with us then our reaction is to blast them with horrible words.  Racism, bigotry and the like are still the bane of our existence.  We do tend to be ugly people regardless of how much we achieve. 

Another idea is that some measure of transformation took place in Mandela's prison cell over his time there.  Did you know that he invited the warden and other staff from that place of confinement to his inauguration as President?   He advocated plus displayed a life of forgiveness in the face of racial injustice.  He was asked about any bitterness toward those who jailed him.  His answer was that if he didn't forgive then he would still be in a prison no matter where he lived.  Mandela got it right.  No person is truly free as long as their heart is frozen in the past of unforgiveness.  Perhaps he would not be as bothered by the comments from those who are still saying horrible things about him.  Jesus told us more about forgiveness than most any other topic.  One can only hope we take His words as serious as He meant them.

Bro. Trey