My friend answered the phone immediately when I called. She was on her second visit to help another friend of hers, and that friend needed emergency prayers from everyone I could reach.
The recipient of these prayers had been caring for her mother around the clock for two years and had needed a break. The mother died shortly after my friend arrived this second time to help, but the next crisis had already begun.
Because the caregiver had been unable to work and tend to her mother at the same time, she and her mother had been living on the elder’s income. The long hours had taken their toll on the caregiver’s health, and she was unable to return to the job market. Soon insurance polices and other temporary income would be gone. She needed to sell everything, including the house, in order to survive. Suicide seemed like the only answer.
The prayers worked. The woman realized she needed to trust God, but sometimes more tangible help is needed. God often works through people. My friend, who is disabled and living on disability payments, could only help so much.
This woman is just one of countless citizens in this country who can’t see their way past the next moment. When added to other personal struggles, the tight job market, increasing energy and food prices, higher health care costs, and falling home prices are more than they can handle alone. They need prayers and encouragement, but they may need a helping hand. Traditional channels of aid are overwhelmed and nearly exhausted. People who gave in previous years now need help.
Five people I knew or who were related to people I know have committed suicide within the last two to three years. Four of these ended their lives within four weeks about two months ago.
This society has become so competitive it values productivity more than compassion. During each economic crisis, the cry goes out to cut entitlement programs. The politicians who lead these cries don’t understand that human lives are at stake. As they seek more ways to reward those who “win,” the “losers” are often left behind to drown in their own sweat and tears.
Though some abuses have occurred in the system, what do we have to gain as a country by turning our backs on the weakest in our society? How can we sleep at night while the elderly, the weak and the despondent are being pushed to the side, and sometimes over the edge?
Everyone needs help at times. If we are indeed “one nation under God” as we claim, why can’t we expend at least as much energy protecting those who have left the womb as we do on those who remain? How can we spend so much time fighting about preserving life when we spend so much money on taking it?
Who will care for the living? I tremble and shake my head as I begin to cry.
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Jacqueline L. Jones is author of Unmasking a Diagnosis: How to get Help for a Confusing Chronic Illness Without Filing for Bankruptcy. The book is available through Lulu.com and will be available early next year through Amazon.com and other online book retailers.
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