YESTERDAY was a very special day for many Christian children around the country. It was Palm Sunday.
It was an opportunity for children to basically take charge of proceedings in various churches.
And for want of a better description of the day, they actually did very well.
For instance, for children at the Christian Mission Fellowship headquarters in Kinoya, Nasinu, yesterday was about revelling in the joy of worship and taking charge of a congregation that was actually left impressed by the items on display and the messages driven through by the young members.
It was inspiring and hopefully a reflection of better things to come.
Such times do serve as firm reminders of the impact our children can have on our nation.
To get to that stage though demands confidence in them and an appreciation of what they have to offer.
Then there is the bit about instilling confidence in individuals and nurturing a sense of purpose.
Our children are definitely our future.
The onus though is on us as parents, guardians, leaders at various levels to stimulate interest among our children to take control of their future.
If yesterday was an indication of the level of appreciation for leadership roles among many of our children, then things can only look good.
But then again there is the element of perseverance and commitment to ensuring the process of learning and appreciation of leadership roles are continuing.
Perhaps we can also take comfort in the thought that maybe, a good grounding at an early age might just be the catalyst our nation needs to grow and develop.
Clearly there was confidence in the manner in which many children controlled yesterday’s services. They read out the Bible verses, delivered powerful messages of hope, sang songs of praise and performed items that moved their audiences.
One can only hope this is somehow translated to their everyday lives and it instils a sense of discipline and appreciation of others around them.
For Christians, yesterday was about remembering the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem the week before his death and resurrection.
Meanwhile, Hindus also celebrated Ram Navami, one of their most important festivals, on Saturday.
It signified the birth of the god Rama.
Clearly Fiji is a nation with diverse religious interests and leanings.
That is probably one reason that stands Fiji apart from many other countries.
We are a multi-racial and multi-religious nation, and arguably one of the most important factors is there is a great sense of appreciation of the diverse cultural, traditional and religious links of our people.
