We have learned quite a bit about Zulu culture and religious practice, and yet we often feel we know so little. Our day to day interactions are always influenced by Zulu culture, and we have had Zulu friends teach us about traditional belief and practice, but every once in a while, we experience it up close.
We had a situation like this recently. We have been building a relationship with a Zulu man. He is one of the hardest workers we have ever seen and he runs his own business serving clients almost every day of the week. One day last month when Kerry asked him about his home and family he began to share about the hectic problems he was having with rats – lots and lots of rats. For him, though, it wasn’t a rodent issue – it was a spiritual one. You see, he was convinced that the rats were intentionally looking at him and putting curses on him. He was concerned and scared for his family– not because of the rats, but because of the curses.
In Zulu culture, everything is spiritual – not in the sense of a good and gracious Heavenly Father who pursues us, loves us, and whose character we can discern not only through his word, but also in creation – but in the sense of superstition, fear and constant indebtedness to the ancestors. For the Zulu, it is possible to communicate with the ancestors, to seek their favour, and even to motivate them to curse a living person on your behalf. The problem is, you never know when someone is out to get you. So, when things go badly, the assumption is that there are curses at play. This is what our friend believed.
The brain does not run the heart – in fact, many of our americanlandscapingci.com ordine cialis on line tissues and organs are largely composed of protein. Anyone eating 4,000 calories daily of fatty, sweet foods in a poorly balanced diet, who begins to eat 2,000-2,500 calories daily of more wholesome foods will viagra sildenafil definitely experience detoxification, weight loss, and improved health simultaneously. Check out the drug store providing discounts! Some drugstores offer a lot cialis professional australia of advantages for the customers. There are a couple of cialis generic 10mg drug treatments approved by the FDA and still the most popular ED medication. We immediately went with our friend to his home. And yes, he had a rat problem – they were everywhere. While we sat under a tree talking at least five rats ran past us and around the foundations of his house. They showed no timidity at all. We saw his two houses – the one where he lived, and his round house (rondavel) which was dedicated to traditional practices like burning imphepho to communicate with his ancestors. We spent some time exploring our friend’s perspective, asking him questions and helping him feel like we were hearing his hopes and fears.
He had lost a few family members in recent years and it was a lonely time for him. We sensed that he was feeling quite hopeless. We decided to share the gospel with him right there, because truly it is “good news” for people afraid of the curse. We tried to explain that Jesus came, lived and died to break every curse and that the name of Jesus was more powerful than the curses of these superstitions. It was so apparent how our friend longed to be free of them. We cautioned him that he cannot serve both Jesus and the ancestors, and that the bible warns us not to consult the dead on behalf of the living (Isa. 8:19). We invited him to put his faith in Jesus, and he is still processing that decision. We prayed with him there, and asked God to deal with the rats and, more importantly, to bring peace to his heart. We left his home trusting that some of God’s light and love would penetrate the fear and darkness there.
Later that day, Dan showed the man how to use rat control pellets, and told him that God gave living people, not dead ancestors, authority and dominion in his creation (Gen. 1:28). We encouraged him to have courage and take a stand. He thanked us profusely – he had a plan of action that wouldn’t require him to sacrifice a goat or pay a diviner.
The next week when we saw him, Dan asked about the rats. He was so happy; he said the rats were gone. And, significantly, he said, “Jesus is stronger!” Please pray as we seek to lead him in a deeper understanding of God’s good plan for him that includes a life free of fear and full of hope and joy.