A death is always tragic. South Africa as a nation and as individuals and families that i know have been reeling over the last few days over a number of tragic deaths.
The big focus has been on Senzo Meyiwa, though. Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and hero to many.
When you hear he died protecting his girlfriend, a little more so.
But when you hear that he also had a wife.
That does not make the story any less tragic. maybe more so.
i am reminded of the story of King David, a man after God’s own heart, and his affair with Bathsheba [a married woman] which ended in adultery, betrayal, murder and the death of their baby. all things which David could have avoided if at any point in the process he had owned up and taken responsibility for his actions. but interestingly enough, it all begins here:
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. [2 Samuel 11.1]
David was the king. And at the time when kings go off to war, David sent someone else. He was not in the place where he was supposed to be.
From the sounds of things, Senzo started his affair with Kelly Khumalo within a year or so of being married and yet this is how his wife Mandisa describes him according to an article in Sundayworld, “He is a real believer and he reads the Bible at every chance he gets. I love his dedication and commitment. He is my hero, a real sweetheart.”
Sounds just like ‘a man after God’s own heart’.
Perhaps if Senzo Meyiwa had been in the place he was meant to be in, his death could have been avoided. [I am not suggesting that he was killed because he was cheating on his wife, just that circumstantially he happened to be in the place where he was killed as a result of it]
His death is a tragedy, yes.
The fact that we the public make him out to be a hero, when, just like the rest of us, he clearly had clay feet, is a tragedy.
I think the fact that because he is a celebrity [see Oscar Pistorius]his death gets special treatment and suddenly the police are going to do everything they can to catch the killer, is a tragedy for the families and friends of non-celebrity people who have been murdered this last week and year. When will we realise that celebrities are people like the rest of us, simply with a spotlight shining on them?
I think the fact that he read His bible every chance he got, and yet that doesn’t seem to have translated into transformative life-changing living, is a tragedy.
Agreed. The public reaction has turned him into a martyr, when he was really a fallible human just like the rest of us.
Agreed. I’ve always said life trust me it will find a way to humble you. Fame and new money causes people to do silly things, it’s so sad.
I find this hard to read — not because of what you are saying being inherently ‘right or wrong’ but because every person I know who follows Jesus has a gap in living that out .. some have so many riches stored up in their bank account when they die (do not store up treasures on earth), others have harbored prejudice in their heart — (can’t love God and not love your neighbour) and we do not call that out when they die. Those are public sins that we never speak about – especially after someone’s death (and rightly so) … so something about calling out this man’s sin after his death makes me feel uncomfortable. And sexual/relational sin always seems to garner more Christian support somehow. It is sad – on so many levels, and you are right in that … just something about the reminder of a man’s sin on his death, makes me hope nobody does that to me 🙂 — there are lots of gaps – that I hope get smaller as I keep following the One I love.
I hear you and I am not sure what the answer is. I didn’t know much about him and your was one of the statuses that made me interested to learn more. And then I was deeply saddened to read that this guy everyone was praising and raising up was not all that. I guess maybe the idea of us not being too air the bad stuff should be held alongside the idea of holding him up as a hero. Is that God or helpful when there are some public areas of his life not worth living up in terms of role model etc… Tricky one.
Yep, I hear you .. and I have seen how this blog seems to resound with quite a number of people so it may be me :). I was also sad to read that he was in the process of leaving his wife and, if I am honest, I respond in a stronger fashion to broken covenant kind of sin than other kinds most of the time. I reflected on that today .. maybe covenant stuff is more eina to us? I hear you re holding someone up as a hero … and think maybe that is what you are responding to? Hmmmm .. you have definitely got me thinking, and I think that is really what you do so well … often. So, thank you. And yes, tricky. And sometimes calling something out is exactly that .. calling it out .. not judging, but saying, let’s call a spade a spade. So, onward and thanks for stirring the pot, as always. And engaging …
And thank you for pushing back in the most gentle way that you do. I think that is a bigger lesson to readers than anything in the blog. I honestly don’t know with this one. Maybe it comes out of a place of having done a bit of life with so many peoples’ hero and relied how messy it is behind the scenes. I was thinking about it now as I was washing up. Jesus had a lot of harsh words to say for those inside the church or religious structure of the day but so so much grace and patience for those outside. I definitely feel that kind of double standard, or different perspective may be better way of saying it. Those outside the church who mess up I have so much time for, but struggle more when it comes to those who should know better, and especially if you as leader to that. Hard one to figure out but for those of us who have found freedom we are warned against using that freedom to me with sin. Please never stop challenging me, Linda, and maybe I can learn from your means when I challenge others. Much love.