Inspirational speaker addresses faith community
Old Glenwood boy, Rod Smith now a world renowned inspirational speaker and relationship expert returned to Durban from the USA to speak at a gathering at St Thomas Church on Saturday.
INTERNATIONAL inspirational speaker Rod Smith took time off his busy schedule to speak at a small gathering at St Thomas Church in Musgrave on Saturday evening.
The speaker, who was born in Durban and lived in Glenwood before leaving for the USA decades ago, said he was moved to do the free talk because he was happy to hear that people were gathering from different churches and different faiths.
Franklin Thammiah, parishioner from St Aidan’s Church, was instrumental in getting the world renowned family therapist and writer to spread his message to the faith community after hearing him at a lecture.
Smith spoke of his organisation which he started, the Open Hand Inc which has now spread to other countries including Romania, Kenya and Australia.
“The open hand is a metaphor for love, community and healing. Hands reflect a person’s being and are the front line agents of your life. If eyes are said to be the windows of a soul, hands express the soul.
Smith encouraged the gathering to hold other people with your hand thoroughly open. “Allow them to know the warmth and welcome of your hand, but let them investigate and benefit from it. Allow them to stay or let them go, but let them find your hand always open.
“Openhanded people do not attempt to “fix” others, change or control them even for their own “good.” Rather each person is given freedom to learn about life in his own way. Openhanded people, instead, express kindly and truthfully what they think and feel, when asked, knowing even in the asking, others might not be interested or willing to learn from their mistakes, successes or life stories,” he concluded.
