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Good morning. I could see the crash coming long before we smashed into the back of the lorry. The driver’s erratic manoeuvres had put a knot in my stomach from the minute we set off, and so I had already braced myself when the brakes were applied far too late at that fateful roundabout. The accident seemed to happen in slow motion and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. Recently watching the news has induced in me that same stomach knot. Our political journey has seen some erratic steering over the past months and I keep worrying we are already beginning that slow motion car crash. Listening to the headlines sometimes I feel the only option for us as a country is to fear the worst and brace for impact. Today would have been Nelson Mandela’s 101st birthday. He came to power when South Africa was a powder keg of division and tensions that make our Brexit-induced discord look like a schoolyard squabble. Mandela’s gracious, bold and humble leadership at that time successfully navigated South Africa towards a truth and reconciliation process and established him as a genuine global statesman. Perhaps our nation needs a Mandela moment right now, as he said: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” As a foster carer, these words have really helped me. Every one of the troubled children we look after needs to find ways to face the future with hope. Many people see children in care as car-crashes waiting to happen: I choose to see them differently. I choose to see their potential to overcome, to succeed, to thrive in spite of, even because of all the obstacles. Mandela’s words remind me of John’s first epistle. Written to reassure and challenge the church in the face of disunity, he writes about choices of faith, hope and love, famously saying: “there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear”. It has been said that too often the reverse is true: fear is driving out love. I could cite the recent marked increase in hate crime, for example. But when love drives out fear, there is true hope. It is time to listen to Mandela. We are not just helpless passengers in a crashing car. In a world where we can celebrate our voyages to the moon and beyond, where women’s sport is finally gaining the recognition it deserves and the racism of world leaders can be challenged, there is surely much hope. Motivated by our hopes, not our fears, it is possible to make brave choices and be compassionate, hospitable and generous.