AS the Zimbabwe Christian Ministers Association (ZCMA) president and Chaplains of Zimbabwe chairperson, I am calling upon every individual in the country to join hands in working together with the ultimate objective to improve the nation’s fortunes so that we can have a brighter future.
Over the last few years, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been spearheading the noble vision of transforming Zimbabwe to an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, but this can only happen when we put our hands on the deck.
In fact, Hellen Keller notes that: “Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
It is, therefore, time for us to put aside our differences and work towards a common goal.
We recognise that our nation is blessed with immeasurable wealth and our economic prosperity is inevitable, but it takes every one of us to realise that dream, or else it will remain a dream deferred if we pull in different directions.
Let us adopt a spirit of building and modernising our communities, fostering a culture of unity, peace and support for each other and development.
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We envision a nation where every household strives to be the best, just like in the good old days of gardening competitions.
Remember the days when neighbours would compete to grow the most beautiful flowers, the lushest vegetables and the juiciest fruits?
Those days when women would join clubs have their best moments in cooking, sewing and so on.
I can even recall how companies like Lever Brothers sponsored some of those competitions.
It is up to us as Zimbabweans, however, to bring back those days of economic prosperity.
That spirit of excellence, that desire to be the best, is what we need to reclaim today.
Let us, therefore, strive for excellence in everything we do, whether it is in our homes, our communities or our workplaces.
The duty and responsibility to rebuild, develop, industrialise and modernise our country is a collective responsibility.
No one person can achieve that alone, for no man is an island.
We need each other.
We must, therefore, find each other in these difficult times and embrace each other.
What unites us, that desire to see our nation prosper, is bigger than our individual parochial interests.
We must assume this responsibility together, as one.
Let us discard a “them and us” mentality and instead pursue peace, national development programmes and initiatives that bring about prosperity, development and a better quality of life for all Zimbabweans.
As the Bible says, “We are all members of one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).
Let us work together, therefore, as one body, to achieve our goals.
We urge leaders from all sectors — business, church and politics — to support development agendas and government efforts to turn around the economy and better the lives of citizens.
By working together, we can achieve miracles. Leaders are seen as unifying forces, participating in progressive agendas, rather than pushing divisive agendas that lead us nowhere.
The Bible says: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).
Let us encourage and support one another as we work towards a brighter future.
Our fight must be focused on building our country, rather than speaking against it.
True patriotism is about national interest and love for one’s country.
We must choose to speak positively about our families, our communities, our workplaces and our nation, even if we are based in foreign nations.
We must learn from those countries and fly our flag high proudly.
By doing so, we will create a caring nation, where we prioritise the well-being of others and put their interests ahead of ours as the scriptures encourage.
As the Bible says: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord” (Psalm 19:14).
Let us speak words of hope, words of encouragement and words of wisdom.
We are introducing multi-faith chaplaincy services to make a meaningful contribution to transforming people’s lives regardless of their religious affiliation.
Our nation is blessed with diverse faiths and we believe that by working together, we can achieve great things and strengthen the bonds of unity.
Let us celebrate our diversity and work together towards a common goal.
Zimbabwe is the only home we have and we must, therefore, make it the best it can be.
Let us do the best we can to build it, not only for ourselves, but even for posterity.
Let us unite in our pursuit of a brighter future for Zimbabwe.
We are confident that by working together, we can overcome any challenge and achieve greatness.
Mnangagwa and his government are doing their best, and those efforts must be supported by all of us. Together, we can win. We rise together and we fall together.
The choice is to each of us an individual: will you choose to rise or to fall?
The Bible says, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5).
Let us work together, as one body, to achieve a brighter future for Zimbabwe.