And When This Passes, Remember Us: Thoughts on The Church in the Midst of Pandemic

And when this passes, families living with a someone with disabilities and medical complications hope our church families and congregations remember the isolation and loneliness they felt not being able to worship together. We hope you remember our family lives this type of isolation week-to-week and year-to-year. Keep the avenues open for us to worship with you from afar. Once this passes, remember we cannot sit with you in the pews at times, we just don't fit in the traditional manner. Even in the most traditional churches, embrace the avenues of inclusion you are discovering that are not-so traditional and keep the virtual doors open. And when this passes, remember us.

In this moment, congregations have the opportunity to lean into families like ours and ask, 'What coping skills have you developed to survive the isolation from community, the unknown, the barrier of worshipping together as one?'.  Right now, no one is asking us how we survive day in and day out, for years, with the fear an illness could take the life of our special person. We self-isolate from illness to keep our family member safe from illness, we are often forgotten, or so it feels. Most often we literally cannot get there because of life circumstances, it does not mean we do not want or are choosing not to be there. And like the pressure being felt now by so many, we cannot come in because of a compromised immune system. We worship from within our own homes, just us, no community, no sharing that which binds us together in worship. Now, in this moment, churches are working to find non-traditional methods to bring community and worship into homes. Technology does not diminish the place, it enhances the people, it connects us. Don't cease these discoveries as these days end. And when this passes, remember us.  

We, families like ours, have so much to offer to this conversation that is so evidently rocking the comforts of the world you know. This may be new for the majority of church families, but not for families with a member with disabilities/medical complications. Isolation from the church and community is not new on us. When congregations relate this to the parable of the blindman revealing the Glory of God, come to us, ask us, what it actually feels like to bear that cross in real life and bear the discomfort that comes with the revelation. Ask us what it feels like to bear that cross and to make the lifelong sacrifices, use our words to talk about that parable. We see the Glory firsthand in the midst of struggle. God is using us and our family member, so should you. This pandemic is causing discomfort and isolation. Come, talk to us about tamping down fear and focusing on self-sacrifice to do what is in the best interest of another. We are part of each of you and the church. And when this passes, remember the families with disabilities and medical complications.



((You can find many articles written about parenting children with disabilities in the church from many walks of life. Each heartfelt.))