If people are a nation’s greatest resource, why are so many countries in Africa poor, yet the birthrate in Africa is the highest in the world?
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. –Romans 12:2, NIV
Why is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) far poorer than the Netherlands even though, when we compare the natural resources of the two nations, the Netherlands would not even be a contender against the DRC?
As an African, these very questions – and many similar ones – used to profoundly bother me.
But the last ten years working in this ministry have turned my mourning into joy.
Holistic child development is – at its core – a powerfully transforming process. It helps poverty-stricken children rediscover the powerful story of God’s redeeming work spiritually, socially, physically and cognitively.
When the children rediscover for themselves the real story of the God Who loves them and Who has empowered them to realize their full, God-given potential, everything changes. Children begin to have a new story about themselves and their circumstances.
Their perspectives move from hopelessness to having hope. Christian hope is powerfully transforming. It is an assurance rather than just mere expectation. Hope sustains identity and confidence. Hope triumphs over poverty, because where there is hope, there is dominion rather than domination.
It has been said that the difference between astronomy and astrology is one word: domination. One seeks to dominate stars by studying them while one is dominated by the stars.
Astronomy believes that one can use knowledge to study the stars and open new doors of possibility. Astrology believes that one is ruled and under the authority of the stars – casualties of circumstance.
What is the difference between the DRC and the Netherlands? The Netherlands majored in astronomy while the DRC majored in astrology, if you will.
The hope for Africa lies not in its vaunted natural resources but in a transformed generation that will major in astronomy rather than astrology.
Currently over 450,000 children across eight countries in Africa are hearing a different story about themselves and their potential. Their minds are getting renewed, and they are beginning to discover that God’s good, perfect and pleasing will for them is not poverty but power to change their circumstances and poverty.