It’s an interesting time to be at EMU. On the one hand, there’s a lot of us who are quite excited about the inauguration of President Barrack Obama. I know plenty of people who want to see the event themselves, and still others who waited in long lines just for the chance to vote. This is certainly and exciting time for those of us who’ve been waiting for a change, and we’ll see just what the future holds.

On the other hand, there’s a deep feeling of remorse, and the presence of keffiyehs (a traditional Arab scarf), shows the reality of the conflict in Gaza reaches even here. As a University dedicated to the pursuit of peace, it’s always a sad time when conflict erupts in a particular region, but with so many of us who’ve taken mission trips to the Middle East, not to mention the Cross Cultural groups, the deaths and destruction of so many good people feels like the loss of someone close. How long, before we have a celebration, and people dance with glee as peace finds her place in the Middle East? It’s a question that’s been on my mind since I first went to the Middle East a few years ago, and it’s felt as though a terrible burden has been laid on my heart to work for a greater peace and love between the peoples of the world.

I don’t yet know what road the Lord would have me take as I finish up my time at EMU, but I know this… as long as people suffer, and as long as force is the preferred method of politics between nations, and so long as one more person remains in unjust captivity… we will cry out before the Lord:

“Oh Lord, how long?”

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