It took me quite some time to understand the following quote by Nelson Mandela. I think I understand the meaning now, but I may still be wrong.
‘Where you stand depends on where you sit,” was written on the board which you can see in front of a shop here in town, where you can also buy coffee.
An inventor was once asked what made him so successful. His answer was, “By constantly thinking about the matter.”
I must have thought quite a bit about the above quote. The German saying: “Dessen Brot ich esse, dessen Lied singe ich,” came to my mind. Into English I translate it like this: “I am singing the song of the people who feed me.”
All of a sudden it came to my mind that we are sitting at a table. I remembered also what David says in Psalm 23. What does he say there? “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5)
David stood before the Lord. He was sitting at the table of the Lord.
King Jehoshaphat stood also before the Lord. (Second Chronicles 20)
“All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.” (Second Chronicles 20:13)
I also want to stand before the Lord.
Let us also remember: “If we don’t stand for something we’ll fall for anything!”
Please let me know if I have grasped the correct meaning of the quote or not!