Authentic is the new fake

Volksrust Recorder - Rubrieke10 Recorder 28 November 2014

Ons soek altyd rede om onsself te regverdig. Kinders van Godsoek soms teksversies om hulle eie optrede en keuses te regverdig.Hoekom? Ons weier om verantwoordelikheid vir ons eie lewe enkeuses te neem. Dit is mos makliker om iets of iemand anders teblameer. God vereis absolute gehoorsaamheid aan Sy Woord.Enige kompromieë neem ons uit God se wil en bring ons op dieweg van sonde. So, sonde is om ongehoorsaam te wees aan diestem van God. Ongehoorsaamheid lei ons op 'n verkeerde pad.God keer ons nie! Hoekom? Hy het elke mens die keuse gegee.Ek en jy kan self kies, maar dan self ook pa staan. Die verhaal vanJona is seker een van die beste voorbeelde van God se toelaatbarewil. Jona kies om ongehoorsaam te wees. Sy keuse lei hom naTarsus. Buite die wil van God. God stuur ‘n storm en ‘n vis(genade) om Jona weer op koers te kry. So, God laat sekere dingetoe maar Sy liefde en genade laat sekere omstandighede toesodat ons weer in Sy perfekte wil kan inbeweeg. Daar is altyd ‘ndoel met God se toelaatbare wil. Daar is twee belangrike waarhedeom te onthou. Satan se plan is vernietiging, God se plan isrestourasie en genesing. God se einddoel met ons as Sy kindersis Goddelike karakter en die enigste manier om karakter te vorm isom deur suiweringsprosesse te gaan. Job se lewe is sekerlik ‘ngoeie voorbeeld. God se plan was nie om Job te vernietig niemaar om hom te suiwer. God het Satan toegelaat om sekere toetsete bring. Onthou, Satan het pyn gebring, nie God nie. Godrestoureer. Die einddoel van Job se lewe was belangriker as diebegin. Job was hoogmoedig. God laat toetse toe om Job te suiwer.Hy word nederig en erken dit ook in Job 42. God laat ‘n storm oorJona losbreek. God se einddoel met Hom was dat hy in Nineve teeindig. Ek en jy as kinders van God kan nie anders as om vuuroondbelewenisse te gaan nie. Dit kweek karakter en berei ons voor virtoekomstige oorwinnings. Maar baie vuuroond belewenisse isonnodig. Ons beweeg uit God se wil uit. God gebruik onsongehoorsaamheid om ons te vorm. Hy los ons nie. Ek lees inHebreërs 12:5-13, “ En julle het die vermaning heeltemal vergeetwat tot julle as seuns spreek: My seun, ag die tugtiging van dieHere nie gering nie en beswyk nie as jy deur Hom bestraf wordnie; want die Here tugtig hom wat Hy liefhet, en Hy kasty elkeseun wat Hy aanneem. As julle die tugtiging verdra, behandelGod julle as seuns; want watter seun is daar wat die vader nietugtig nie? Maar as julle sonder tugtiging is, wat almaldeelagtig geword het, dan is julle onegte kinders en nie seunsnie. Verder, ons het ons vaders na die vlees as kastyders gehad,en ons het vir hulle ontsag gehad; moet ons nie veel meer aandie Vader van die geeste onderworpe wees en lewe nie? Wanthúlle het ons wel ‘n kort tydjie na hulle beste wete getugtig;maar Hy tot ons beswil, sodat ons sy heiligheid kan deelagtigword. Nou lyk elke tugtiging of dit op die oomblik nie ‘n saakvan blydskap is nie, maar van droefheid; later lewer dit egter‘n vredevolle vrug van geregtigheid vir die wat daardeurgeoefen is. Daarom, rig die slap hande en die verlamde knieëweer op; en maak reguit paaie vir julle voete, sodat wat kreupelis, nie uit lit raak nie, maar liewer gesond gemaak word.”

Die einddoel van Jona se tugtiging was redding van siele. Dieeinde van Josef se vuuroond belewenis was die redding vanIsrael. So ons beleef teenstand a.g.v. twee redes. Ons het besluitom ongehoorsaam te wees aan God se Woord (Jona) of God isbesig om ons voor te berei vir ‘n groter taak. (Josef). Dit is Sytoelaatbare wil. Ons mag nie opsetlike sondig en dit toeskryf aanGod se toelaatbare wil nie. Nee God is heilig en Hy vereisgehoorsaamheid. Dit is net genade dat Hy ons nie in ons paaievan ongehoorsaamheid los nie. Hy tugtig die wat Hy lief het. Syeinddoel is die redding van ons siele.Ek sluit met die Woorde van Petrus. 1Pe 1:6-7, “ Daarin verheugjulle jul, al word julle nou—as dit nodig is—’n kort tydjie bedroefonder allerhande beproewinge, sodat die beproefdheid van jullegeloof, wat baie kosbaarder is as goud wat vergaan maar deurvuur gelouter word, bevind mag word tot lof en eer en heerlikheidby die openbaring van Jesus Christus” Onthou ons keuse hetgevolge kies dan reg. Moenie mismoedig raak in vervolging niemaar onthou God is besig om jou en my karakter te vorm vir ‘ngroter oorwinning.Vrede, Pastoor Johan Venter

God seGod seGod seGod seGod setoelaatbaretoelaatbaretoelaatbaretoelaatbaretoelaatbare

wilwilwilwilwilAs a professional speaker, I play in the world of motivational speakers, gurus and industry experts.A word that is bandied about by this fraternity is authenticity.You’ll hear it from the podium … “live an authentic life”, “set authentic goals”, “be authentic to yourself” andthe like.It is easy to say, “be authentic”. But being true to you is another story altogether.I get the feeling that when people bandy about the word authentic it’s a case of Shakespeare’s “The lady dothprotest too much.” It might just be that they’re trying to hide that they are fake.Being true to whom you are, your beliefs, your principles and your standards is a noble endeavor.But sometimes, trying to live the authentic life can … well, be trying.I often tell my audiences that we have digital holidays on weekends. No surfing the web and wasting time onsocial media.I was brought back to earth with such a jolt at how inauthentic (heck, that’s too soft … let’s just call it what itis, fake) I really can be when my daughter caught me answering an email at the weekend on my smartphone.“Daddy,” she said. “Daddy, you’re not present.” Yes, this is how they speak when they’re eight years old.Goodness help me when she’s a teenager.She was right, of course. I wasn’t present and worst of all I broke my word to her and the standards we had setfor our weekends.This is just one incident that highlighted my feet of clay. Every time I say I will write and I don’t; every time Isay I will be more respectful with those who serve me and I’m not; every time I say I will spend quality timewith my family and I don’t and; every time I see something that’s just wrong and I say nothing … every time Ido this, I erode my integrity and authenticity.Fortunately, the human condition is such that it will be able to justify any action or inaction. So, I get by withrationalising. But when I hold that mirror up to who I really am I sometimes have to shut my eyes because whatI see is not someone who is authentic, but someone who is fake.So, being authentic can be extremely difficult and maybe it is an impossible Grail quest. But, I believe it is theonly way to [strive to] live. Because the more authentic you become, and the more true you become toyourself, the more true your dealings will be with others.www.jacquesdevilliers.co.za

Authentic is the new fake

Volksrust�Seme Business ColumnLabour minister Oliphant upwardly adjusts domestic workers' annual wages

Change YourStory

With Jacques de Villiers

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has approved the new wage structure for the Domestic Workers Sector followingthe upward adjustment of the new minimum wage.The latest relief comes on the eve of the festive season. Theminimum wage adjustment is in line with legislation to protect workers in South Africa in sectors in which they arelikely to be exploited, or where worker organisations and trade unions are absent, and workers are not covered byregulating mechanisms. The new sectoral determination of domestic workers starting from 1 December 2014 to 30November 2015 prescribes that the minimum wages for domestic workers who work more than 27 ordinary hoursper week as follows:

· Area A (those in major metropolitan areas) is R10.95 hourly rate, R476.68 weekly rate and R2065.47monthly rate.

· Area B (those not covered in Area A) R9.30 hourly rate, R418.32 weekly rate and R1812.57 monthlyrate.

While the Minimum wages for domestic workers from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015 who work 27 ordinaryhours per week or less is as follows:

· Area A (those in major metropolitan areas) is R12.40 hourly rate, R334.74 weekly rate and R1450.33monthly rate.

· Area B (those not covered in Area A) R10.98 hourly rate, R296.35 weekly rate and R1284.09 monthlyrate.

The latest Sectoral Determination (SD) which establishes minimum wages for Domestic Workers will be applicablefor the period 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015. Its implementation is in the last year of the current three-yearsectoral determination cycle. In June 2014 the Department of Labour hosted Domestic Worker Sector nationalpublic hearings to review the current three-year cycle of sectoral determination prescribing minimum wage andconditions of employment for the sector – with a view to gauge the feelings of the stakeholders on the current SDstructure on whether it should be modified and how!The road show engagements focused on issues such as atwhich minimum level should the new wage rate be set? Whether future minimum wage increases should still bebased on the consumer price index (CPI); issues of leave provisions (annual, sick, family responsibility, maternity,paternity etc); and other related matters.In addition to the national public hearings Labour Minister in 2013 alsoinitiated a consultative process to engage with the domestic workers through “Izimbizo” going to various provincesto get a better understanding of the Domestic Worker Sector and how to deal with problems facing the sector.Whilstthe jury is still out on whether sectoral determinations will continue in future, a new debate has started on thepossibility of introducing the national minimum wage in South Africa especially for the vulnerable.

Application forms now available at Lewensvreugde or any of the Management Committeemembers. Contact details for the Management Committee Members are as follow:

Willem Hüsselmann - 082 415 7725, Freddie Kapp - 017 735 4444, Johan Botha - 082 3357274, Ashraf Moola - 082 588 5515, Ahmed Chothia - 082 554 4886