Evolution

We're leaving Ruhengeri today, and headed back to Nairobi. One moment has stuck with me from the conference. We would take breaks every so often, and when it was time to come back inside and begin another session, they would usually begin again with a song, usually a traditional favorite. Most of the songs were lively (I particularly enjoy the free clapping - it produces so many intricate rhythms), but one in particular went deeper than a bunch of people singing joyfully to Jesus. It was an uninhibited celebratory romp. One of the younger guys was clearly the ring leader, singing the loudest and dancing the most enthusiastically. He would tighten up and hunch over a little bit, stomping his feet and bouncing on his heels to the beat during the verses, and then he would expand to the fullest extent his very lanky frame could allow, flapping his arms and leaping during the chorus. It was an experience in worship just to watch. Later on, I discovered what the song was about. Essentially, it's something to the effect of, "I used to be hunched over, but now that I have Jesus, I can stand up straight." Clearly there was more to it, just based upon the abundance of lyrics, but the idea of the song was clearly communicated by the dance.

Supposedly, man originated in Africa. Some of the oldest fossil remains from human history have been found here, including "Lucy", generally regarded as the earliest human skeleton (as far as I know). This is where ancient humans learned to walk upright. I'm not sure how much stock I place in these theories, and I'm not out to begin an anthropological debate, but there is clearly an evolution going on in Africa. Faustin and his organization are serving as one major catalyst, and there are many others, and it feels very much as though there is a leap forward in progress. Everywhere I have been so far, I have seen abundant life being lived out. There is great need here, and it seems as though, in the presence of great need, the fittest will indeed survive. Those whose lives are fueled by the Spirit are clearly equipped for survival, and their development is contagious. Africa has been an entire continent suppressed. Suppressed by stagnant centuries of superstition. Suppressed by stagnant centuries of yielding to foreign powers. Suppressed by stagnant centuries of disease. Stagnant centuries are formidable obstacles. But two millennia ago, there was a dynamic bang more powerful than any static generation, and its effects can be seen rippling across the continent. With each ripple, more lives are changed. With each ripple, Africa's evolution steps forward. This is not to say that there isn't a long way to go, but from what I can see, there is forward motion. There is change for the better, in pockets, all over. The laws of thermodynamics are being defied. This is more than I can say for a reversing generation in the United States. We live in a nation of hunched, joyless people. Isn't it about time we learned how to stand up straight too? Dancing is sure to follow.