A Day of Hope

Woke up early this morning, excited to start this historic day. Went out, ate breakfast in the cafeteria, and settled into a seat at the Burrow at 10:00. I was ready. The Satellite feed was already on, and as it got closer to 10:30, the Burrow began to fill up around me 'till it was packed. As the pomp and circumstance filled the air, I noted the interesting fact about the inauguration. We, as Americans, have very few formal traditions. Yes, holidays are, to a point formalized, but we really have very few national ceremonies. And here was one of them. Every four years, we celebrate the peaceful passage of power (or retainment of it), through this ceremony. However, this one was particularly significant. I shy from using terms based on the color of his skin, because I do not think that the color of a man's skin defines him. However, there's no denying that for the first time, a black man was elected president. This is huge. Just 40 years ago, it would have been nearly inconceivable that any man with a black father would be sworn into the Oval Office. And, when I saw Obama emerge from the White House, I felt tears in my eyes. This is what many people in America had suffered for. As they said in the Inaugural Address, finally, "the words spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial have reached the White House". Amazing.

The entire procedure was inspiring for me. I felt that John William's composition for the Inauguration, as performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Itzak Perlman, was absolutely beautiful. And Obama's speech was inspiring. It offered a frank look at the dire situation of our country, but offered us hope and reminded us that through unity as a nation, we can survive the current struggles. It offered a gesture of peace to the Islamic world which has long been overdue, without giving disrespect to those who have fought for our country. And of course, it recognized those individuals who fought for full recognition of their freedom those years ago in our own country. As I saw the older people in the crowd, I wondered at what an amazing thing it must be to them to see this happening. I came from the Address, feeling revitalized, inspired, and hopeful.

The rest of the day was, naturally, fantastic. I called my mom and she had been able to watch the Inaugural Address at her school, though, of course, the atmosphere was not entirely as joyful as that here at Hendrix. She marvelled and spoke with me about how unreal it still seemed. For someone who lived through the 60s, saw the protests, the struggle for civil rights, it's astounding for her to see Obama in the presidency. Today, I have a special prayer. I pray for Obama -- that he would be a wise, godly leader. I pray for America, that we would be united and work together for what's right. I pray that the still lingering resentment in some communities towards Obama would fade away and be replaced by respect. I pray that we would be a godly, loving nation. And I pray that God would bless America -- not because we deserve it, but because He is merciful. May we turn back to Him, and be good representatives of Him.

--Amen--