Crisis

There is a lot of unrest in the world right now. Yes, I am aware that there is always unrest. But this is a little different. And we are not sure of the ramifications of this uneasiness. At least not yet.

I am not going to be a fear monger here, but certain events and situations concern me. I am also not going to espouse a political view. I am just going to speak about the issue that concerns me.

As I write, there is turmoil in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Yes, I am aware that there is nothing surprising in that statement as there has always been turmoil there. It started thousands of years ago. But this turmoil seems to be spreading, or isolating.

In the past few weeks we have the following:

1. The overthrowing of the government in Tunisia (leader fled)
2. The change of power in Lebanon (Hezbollah backed prime minister)
3. The change in Egypt due to the protests (President won’t seek re-election)
4. Protests in Yemen (President will not seek re-election)
5. Protests in Jordan (King dismissed entire government)
6. Protests in Algeria
7. Syria (said they will push for reform preempting protests, hopefully)
8. And, as if I need to mention, the volatility of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran.

What will become of these events, I do not know. I hope it will be for the better. But I am not naïve enough to think everything will be nice, rosy, or cuddly now. History has proven that to be different. But hopefully, things will stabilize soon.

There is one country, though, that I am sure have their eyes wide open. They are different than the other countries in that region. Different in government, religion, history, and attitude.

Again, at this time, I will not get into any political opinions. At least not yet. But there is something unique when it comes to unrest in the Middle East. All eyes seem to turn there when it appears that there is trouble brewing. So once again, I can’t help but think about Israel.

They don’t have too many allies. They seem somewhat isolated over there. It is a very small strip of land, but somehow, very significant. There is a lot of history there. And a history that is connected to my faith. Regardless of views, Israel and the people of Israel have a role in how faith and history is viewed. Some believe that the culmination of the world as we know it will happen in that region of volatility.

All I know is that I am aware and concerned. But that will have to wait. I can’t think about that now. The Super Bowl is on Sunday.