Torch, Fall 2006

Summer 2006 / TORCH 25 I was born in the east part of Beirut right at the beginning of the civil war. The first 15 years of my life were all spent in war until my mother, brother, and I immigrated to Canada when I was 15. I thank the Lord that I did not have to witness the war of July 12 to August 14, 2006. However, I dreaded every moment of it, not only because of the memories it brought to my mind, but also because during the first two weeks of that war, both my parents and numerous members of my extended family were in Lebanon. Praise the Lord that my father, his wife, and two children, who all have American citizenship, were able to leave Lebanon on the last ship that transferred Americans to Cyprus. On the other hand, my mother and her husband stayed in the Christian part of Beirut, which was not directly hit, but the bombing was so close that while talking to my mother on the phone one night, I could hear the chilling sound of bombs exploding. Throughout this summer, I had to bring my worries and fears for the safety of my parents to the Lord over and over, committing them to His hands. The Lord in His grace kept all my immediate and extended family members safe. So what do I think of the war in Lebanon? There is no war that is good. War always brings devastation, death, and sorrow. After Prime Minister Hariri rebuilt most of Beirut, the Lebanese were happy and hoped that the country would never see war again. However, the war of this past summer stole that blossoming sense of security from the Lebanese hearts. James 4 says that pride promotes strife and war. Ask any Lebanese and he or she will tell you that pride and selfishness are the causes of all the wars this Fall 1 tiny country has gone through in the last 30 years. Fortunately, the new Lebanese generation is trying to transmit the message that war is not the solution — communication and discussions are. I pray that the war of summer 2006 would be the last war the Lebanese would ever see. I also pray that the Christians in Lebanon would live out what their identity implies and that they would be salt and light in the darkness for Jesus Christ’s glory. Dr. Cosette Fox serves as assistant professor of psychology, having joined the Cedarville University faculty in the fall of 2006. She earned her B.S. in biology, her B.A. in psychology, and her Ph.D. in experimental psychology. To read more of Fox’s perspectives, visit www.cedarville.edu/torch . Lebanon, My Homeland By Cosette Fox, Ph.D. T TOP: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH /AFP/ GETTY IMAGES; BELOW: SAID KHATIB /AFP/ GETTY IMAGES