Fridays with Phil

Your challenge could be your chance.
Your problem, your possibility.
Your trial, your testimony.

If that’s to be the case, you must decide how you are going to face life challenges.

The reason I believe many of us don’t see the chance, possibility or testimony in the midst of challenges is because we do not expect challenges to happen and when they do, we are rocked, surprised and even confused.

Instead, embrace the reality of challenge – it is part of life’s experience.

A kind person will encounter meanness.
A healthy body will need care.
A strong marriage will face struggles.

There will be bad in the good days and good in the bad days.

How can we face and overcome life challenges?

Firstly, don’t be in denial, avoiding the proverbial “elephant in the room,” acting as if a challenge does not exist.

Instead, actively move to face and deal with challenges, just like God did.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, Eve’s apple and Adam’s sin of silence, the world has been different to its initial intent.  I would say this represented a huge challenge. But, what do we see God doing?

In Genesis 3:9, the Bible says “But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?””

God immediately faced the problem.

God stepped into the situation, seeking out Adam and Eve, He dealt with the problem, and came up with a redemptive solution.

God did not wait for the problem to resolve itself.  In the same way, we need to be proactive about facing and solving challenges.

Secondly, this means that we bring truth to our challenges and we take ownership of them.

Shifting blame does not help solve problems. Mature people are not as concerned about who is at fault as they are about solving the problem. Even if they didn’t cause the mess, they will take ownership of the result and get busy to fix it.

God did not cause the fall of the earth. But, He put his arms around the problem and sent a Saviour.

A parent with a child who is not doing well at school will not just blame the teacher or the school. He or she will care about the problem and take ownership of it to help solve it.

Do you have a challenge today? The easy way around it is to pretend it doesn’t exist or blame someone else for it. But how I see it, there are two options: easy first, hard later, or hard first, easy later.

God’s way is to face the problem now, and thrive in the end.

I’m taking that option.

Phil

Once you fall in love with Africa, there is no turning back.

I am homeward bound after a whirlwind trip, Friday to Friday, 7 days which has left me changed, again.

This was to be my last visit to the Congo after travelling there for the past 7 years speaking to Churches, government sectors, business people and universities.
There is no denying that my heart has knit with the Congolese and with this diverse place.

With the possibility of not coming back here and maybe because of my heart connection with this place, I was uber-conscious of taking it all in, giving as much as I could and not leaving any opportunity unturned.

After arriving in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, I was struck with how different things have become since my very first visit 7 years ago. Airport arrivals was relatively calm and there were no grabs for bribes. The road from the airport was no longer littered with old trucks and cars, in their place, an eight lane highway. And for the first time, I saw street sweepers late at night cleaning up rubbish from the roads.

This may not seem like much but these changes spoke volumes to me. You see, I believe that when we begin to take responsibility for the small things, it creates a culture of valuing all that matters in life.  Isn’t that why we start small by teaching our children to say thank you and please?

I was equally impressed by the schools that have been established. One was started 14 years ago by a Sunday school teacher and is now the most sought after primary school in the city. Other young women are being inspired by this lady’s innovative spirit to bring about real change.

There is a sign that hangs over Nelson Mandela Square (where I am writing this blog) and it says, “It always seems impossible until it’s done“.

The Congolese people are putting impossible to rest.

Another friend is opening a palliative care facility, touching me deeply by naming it “The Phil Camden Palliative Care Centre”. I don’t think he realises what an inspiration he is to me by the incredible fact he has succeeded in the face of real opposition.

People who live with passion, courage and vision to see a better future, despite their present reality, never cease to amaze me.

One such person I had the tremendous privilege to catch up with was Joost van der Westhuizen, South African champion Springbock Rugby player, now living with MND / ALS and working tirelessly for the benefit of other sufferers through the J9 Foundation.

South Africa has no assistance or association to care for MND patients. In fact the only drug available for MND patients is a drug called Rilutek (said to increase life by 3-6 mths) and it is 10 times more expensive in South Africa than in Australia.

The J9 foundation is very much at the pioneering end of making this a better world for MND patients and carers at considerable personal sacrifice.

By far, the hardest part of this trip was saying goodbye to friends I may not see for a while. I have loved investing into the people of the Congo and starting to see many of them step into all God has for them.

Just when I thought it was all over, I don’t think I’m finished with Africa. The people, the place, the potential moves me beyond looking at my human frailties and physical restraints. Plus, I think J9 Foundation could do with a few more friends.

Wherever you are reading this today, I wonder if there is something you have never done before, something that seems impossible but you know you should do it? Take courage from my ponderings today, turn impossible around!

Phil