Jim Govatos: Mandela's lesson - Be fully human

I find it interesting how the death of Nelson Mandela has united the hearts of people who would normally not give each other the time of day. President Obama and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, U2's Bono and Khloe Kardashian have each in their own way heaped praise on this giant of a man. We would have expected nothing less for a man who managed to hold disaffected Africans and frightened Afrikaners together to form a new nation.

As I began reflecting on why Mandela was such a compelling figure to so many different people, it struck me that somehow he embodied the human qualities most of us would like to have in our lives. Mandela called forth the commitment to justice that many of us keep silently buried in our hearts. He demonstrated extraordinary forgiveness, which we know to be right but somehow fall short of in practice. He exercised an optimism that circumstances seem to cloud for many of us. He was a man for all seasons and a man for all people.

Nelson Mandela was far from perfect and he would be the first to tell you that. In fact, he did tell us in his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom.” He was especially remorseful over his less than stellar family performance. Nelson Mandela was not perfect, but he was a great man who touched all but his starkest enemies with a grace that brought out the best in them. Even former President George W. Bush, whom Mandela had openly criticized over the Iraq war, had extremely kind words of remembrance for him last week.

I think so many people are attracted to Mandela because he embodied what it means to be fully human: just and forgiving, passionate and compassionate, visionary and historical. These are things to which we aspire, but so seldom see lived out before our eyes. And when we do see it, it takes our breath away. We saw it in Nelson Mandela. We saw it in Mother Teresa. Maybe you have observed it from time-to-time in less-public figures.

As we head into the Christmas season, I am reminded of another "man for all seasons": Jesus Christ. I think one of the reasons people of all faiths and even no faith are still attracted to Jesus is that he exemplified and taught what it means to be fully human. However, Jesus was more than human – he was the Son of God, made flesh to live among us. Not only does he inspire us with our living, but he transforms us through his dying and rising. Great human role models inspire us to live better lives; Jesus Christ actually empowers us to do so more successfully.

When you find your humanity stirred up by recollections of Mandela's greatness, remember there is someone who can transform those longings into action. His name is Jesus and He is God's gift to the world. In reflecting on the gift, the Gospel of John puts it this way:

“From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:16-17

May you taste that grace this Christmas!