Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Musings On Immigrant Children And Life Stability From The Waiting Room

Musings On Immigrant Children And Life Stability From The Waiting Room

Last updated on: June 20, 2018 at 12:26 pm by Christy Thomas

Musings On Immigrant Children And Life Stability From The Waiting Room 2018-06-20T12:26:39-05:00 Christy Thomas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

But there was stability, at least for this group of people and for this period of time. We fortunate ones who were reared in that stability unquestionably benefitted. However, as one who is increasingly turning to world past to make sense of the world present, I know that kind of societal stability has been more rare than abundant.

As I began this column, I sat in the midst of strangers, all as anxious as I. We each had a loved one in surgery. At that moment, my husband’s heartbeat had been taken over by a machine. Capable hands were in the process of replacing one heart valve and repairing another.

My husband came through fine–and we hope to have many years yet to enjoy each other’s companionship. But at some point, death will come. We will be parted. It will hurt. The world will spin.

Last Saturday, I attended the memorial service for the father of a long-time friend. Her parents, my parents, and the parents of many I knew growing up were all members of a large Sunday school class at East Dallas Christian Church.

The man who died, Jack Cannon, was 99 years old. WFAA TV featured him and his life, Lucille, on the occasion of their 75th wedding anniversary. The video and the story they told was fascinating.

https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/couple-celebrates-75-years-of-marriage/287-1661813

And now, after 77 years, his dear wife, Lucille, is without her partner.

At end of the service, the congregation was invited to stand and sing, “Because He Lives,” one of the deceased’s favorite hymns. His frail wife of 77 years had been helped into her wheelchair. Her daughter prepared to take her from the chapel to the reception. As Lucille was wheeled closer to the aisle, the officiating pastor bent over, took her hand, and began singing the hymn straight to her. She looked up at the pastor and began to sing with her.

As Lucille sang, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone,” her face faltered. She began to weep.

I was between two other daughters of that Sunday School class. One by one, we burst into tears, each later blaming the other for having “started” it. We put away our hymnals, wiping our eyes, unable to do anything but stay in that space of grace, love, grief, and hope.

It was possibly the most beautiful scene I have ever witnessed.

But their world–this world of Great Depression survivors, of men who worked for the same company all their lives and whose wives reared stable families, a world where decent pensions combined with habits of frugal living meant a joyous retirement of fun and travel, a world where people stayed in place, attended church every Sunday, created lifelong friends–this world passes away.

Some of it needs to pass: it was only good for a select group, primarily white. Single mothers had no place. Some marriages were unquestionably miserable, but no other options seemed possible. Too many felt uncomfortably trapped.

For centuries, vast numbers have been routinely slaughtered or had their sons conscripted for wars that the powerful few instigated in order to get even more power or their daughters snatched to satisfy the sexual appetites of rapacious men. Fragile families descended into deeper hopelessness of food shortages and aching starvation. Mass migrations consistently arise from such terrifying circumstances.

This brings me to the present crisis at our border with Mexico. What conditions bring about these desperate actions where utterly impoverished and downtrodden people, generally illiterate with no training other than how to raise crops, take horrific journeys, carrying small children on their backs, to see if they can find some safety, somewhere? They flee terror, poverty, and mayhem in their homelands.

Many of us had ancestors who arrived here for similar reasons. Few immigrants, even legal ones, have it easy upon arrival. However, I think it fair to say that none have been as badly treated as those now attempting to cross the border.

What little stability these children have is found only in their parents. And now that is gone.

As a nation, we must not do this. As a nation that wants to call itself Christian, we must especially not do this. Jesus, the center of Christianity, was himself a refugee, taken by his parents to Egypt to escape what would otherwise be certain death at the hands of Herod. When we refuse to welcome the little ones, no matter their mode of entry, we mock the very existence of the one we call Savior and Lord.

Let us find ways to feet on our anguish and find ways to relieve the suffering. At the very least, contribute to funds set up to provide bail money for the imprisoned parents so they may find their children–assuming that somewhere, somehow, records have been kept as to which child was sent to which baby-prison.

And if it turns out that those placements have been inadequately documented, then hold all to account for their mistreatment of the innocent. We cannot go down this trail as a country and come out unscathed, either as a nation or as people of faith.

Once we get past the current crisis–and the rash of public opinion now does seem to be so turning against the current cruel policies that something will probably be done soon–we MUST examine ourselves and figure out how we got here. What has enabled the policymakers to act so egregiously against innocent children? Why did they feel so free to do so? What will it take to convince them that they do not represent the vast majority of Americans when treating others this way?

We need to ask and answer these question as we head into the next set of elections.

Photo Credit: Christy Thomas

Previous Post

June 20, 2018

At Our Core, We Are Fundamentally Decent Despite Evangelical Betrayal

Next Post

June 20, 2018 Texas Bishops Suck Up to Donald Trump

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category " obedience abortion accommodation accountability administration adolescence Advent advice an ordinary death anxiety apology apportionments Ash Wednesday ask thoughtfulpastor baptism betrayal Bible bondage calling certainty change character charity children Christianity Christmas church church as garden clergy clergy credentials closure comfort compassion competition compromise Confirmation conservation conservative conspiracy theories consumer conversion coronavirua corruption courage covenant cultural context death Deconstruction discipleship discord divorce doctrine doing good drugs dysfunctional Easter Easter; Resurrection education election entertainment envy escape evaluation evil exclusive church exercise faith faithfulness family fasting fear feast featured film review finances first world problem food forgiveness fundamentalist garden gay marriage General Conference generosity giving thanks GLBT glory good government grace guilt habit happy harmony hateful acts healing health health care heaven hell hello/goodbye heresy hidden agenda holiness homelessness homosexuality humility hymn hypocrisy Imago Dei In training inclusive church indulgence injustice innocents insurance intolerance itinerancy joy Justice kindness Kingdom of Heave kingdom of heaven language laughter laundry lawsuit leadership Lent LGBTQ liberal life Little Things Matter longform meandering thoughts memories mercy metaphor metrics miracle misfortunes morality Mormon Muslim mystery worship natural disasters New Category Name nutrients older adults oppression pain Paleo paperwork partnered pastor peace pension pharmaceutical placebo politics poverty prayer privilege public schools questions quiet racism rain reason reconciliation religion repentance requirements rescue respect rest resurrection retirement Sabbath sacrament sacred salvation same-sex marriage sanctuary schism schooling science SCOTUS secrecy separation of church and state sexism sexuality short cuts silence sin sleep soil spiritual journey stillness suffering surgery sustainable church teacher technology thank you theology therapy thinking tolerance TOS trust truth Uncategorized welcome Why Easter? wisdom women worship

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 March 2025 February 2025 December 2024 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 July 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz