I waited so long to go. Years even. Patiently, and then impatiently as I watched others book their tickets. Pictures flooding my Facebook timeline unintentionally evoked jealousy. But finally, my time had come...
I booked my ticket to Israel with nervous excitement. I couldn't believe it was real, but it was. It is. For 10 days, I will be in Israel and Palestine interacting with the very cultures I've studied for so long in their native land, the Holy Land. November 3-13, 2014. My excitement was short lived however as family and friends expressed legitimate concern. Israel was in the midst of war.
Bombs. Death. Chaos. Rockets fired. Gunshots. Innocent lives lost. Scared children. Confused adults. Cultural misunderstanding. Hatred.
The negative aspects seemed endless. Family told me not to go. Friends convinced me to wait until the chaos died down. Delta stopped all flights to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Upset, heartbroken and angry at the ignorance, I pouted. For days.
Reluctantly, I resolved to cancel the trip. I would wait until another, "better" time arrived. But then I thought about it. Could there ever be a better time? Sure, I have no doubt that there will come a time when the war will cease. But does that make it a "better" time?
Isn't the best time show love when people need it most?
Isn't the best time to develop relationships of peace when people have been worn down by war?
Doesn't the scribe account for all details of the life? The good, the bad, the breathtakingly beautiful, as well as heartbreaking ugliness?
Perhaps, some will think I'm silly. Perhaps some will find my decision as downright stupid. Regardless, I am not afraid.
I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I pray for the people of Gaza. I pray for the children stuck in another round of hatred. I pray for all the things we Westerners don't even understand. And I will continue to pray, but if the war does not end by November, I will pray for the strength to be a Modern Scribe. I will pray for the strength to love....and for eyes to see and embrace beauty in and through desolation. I will pray to not be afraid.