As somebody who cares about South Africa and as a citizen who wants to leave a mark, and as a human being who is so determined to live her life with meaning and purpose. Right now, I am answering a question that I have been asking myself: Today it’s the 16th June 2021, it is a holiday famously known as “Youth Day” and it has been extended to the month of June being called Youth Month here in South Africa. I can not explain how this day became the youth day as it is all over the internet and I have done a little bit of explanation in one of the articles from the previous years. So, the question is: what can you tell our youth on this day? and I have only one answer: The fighting spirit of Samson.
I want us to look at the life of Samson as a human being who had wonderful strengths and of course notable weaknesses, but today I will focus on Samson the warrior
As you read, can you affirm these words to your spirit, say “I am [your name], the warrior”, e.g. “I am Nonhlanhla, the warrior “. You have it in you whether you know it or you do not know it, you are a warrior. Now that you know, can you repeat the same words with more conviction. Thank you, that was awesome.
Samson was born like so many of us to accomplish the plan of God, some of the bible scholars feel that there are so many things that he did not do that He would have done with the kind of gift that God gave him. As I said earlier that we are focusing on his fighting spirit, so let me do exactly that.
Please refer to following bible verses about Samson……..
Judges 14: 6 The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him in power, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
Judges 15: 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.6 When the Philistines asked, “Who did this?” they were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.”
Judges 15: 12 They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.” 13 “Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
Judges 16: 30 he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.
He learnt at the very tender age to fight for himself, he was so independent that when he was younger, he never told his parents about his victories. He was ever ready for any fight; it did not matter the situation. This is the kind of spirit I want to kindle or rekindle in our youth today. Like Samson do not give a shout out to your victories too early, you may not be seen today but as you continue and do what you are doing consistently you will eventually be noticed. What I am saying is that as a young person focus on building your profile, develop and master your skills in your respective fields. This may look as if it is nothing but in a long run it will do you good. After his victory as shown above in Judges 15, he was appointed as a judge in Israel and ruled for twenty years. There are positions that will be offered to you because of what you have done.
I am so encouraged by his last fight when he did not have eyes. In this life there will be seasons where one will be walking with a blurry vision because of the challenges we may be facing, we may be lacking some resources or not fully informed about our journeys, because it is not all the time where you have it all figured out. I guess you understand, what I am trying to tell you is that keep moving no matter how small the steps you take, never become idle. Just fight all the way.
Happy Youth Month ………
2 comments
Dear Nhlanhlo
I like the way you engage readers in your discussions (articles). I like the way you relate the scriptures with your article themes. All your points are new and accurate, you don’t repeat what you said before. This is the sign of being led by the Holy Spirit. You conclude nicely with the moment of taking an action. This is excellent, keep it up!!!
Thank you for your response….