And there is so little agriculture and mining because the economic climate is not conducive to investment in these sectors. And there is so little investment because the politics of the country do not create confidence for investors. And the politics do not create confidence because politicians are not interested in governing but in enjoying and keeping power. So the heap of earth remains.
Jesus was once told about some Galileans “whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did’” (Luke 13:1ff). The Greek word used for repent is metanoia which literally means, ‘change your mind.’ Change your way of thinking! Every page of the gospel calls us to this: to rise above the flow, the drift, the way we accept things as they are and make a move to think differently.
Moses was happily getting on with life looking after his father in law’s flock of sheep when one day he saw the burning bush. What happened next changed his way of thinking forever. He, more than anyone else, was the one who introduced God to Israel and transformed their lives. We are heirs to these events and the message they contain. Our lives are a constant turning and changing. If we embrace it we will find joy. If we resist it we will wither like a barren fig tree.
I was uneasy with what I wrote in the first paragraph above. What if the heap of earth had been cleared away? My whole logic would lose its force. I decided to check. And indeed it had been sorted out and cleared away! Now I have to change my whole way of thinking! But it is a pleasant task. Who knows? Removing one pile of earth might be the beginning of a whole process of change that will soon transform Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Faith