“Let the children come to me…” Jesus

When it comes to nightmares, it’s all relative.

Last night, while watching an engrossing movie with my son and daughter-in-law, we suddenly heard inconsolable cries coming from my four-year-old granddaughter sleeping upstairs.

“She’s having a nightmare,” her mom said, as both parents scrambled off the couch to check on her. A few minutes later my son came down the stairs laughing.

“What are you laughing about? Is she OK” I asked.

“I’m laughing at her nightmare,” he chuckled. “I asked her what was wrong and she said, ‘I wanted chocolate milk. Nobody would give me chocolate milk!” Surely, this could be an upsetting situation for a four-year old, though perhaps not nightmare worthy for an adult. Still there were copious tears, soothed away by her parents and the rest of the night was a peaceful sleep.

One of my sons used to have night terrors at the same age. He would stand up on his bed and shrink to the corner, yelling at something he imagined in the room and telling it to go away. I would have to calm him down, do some yelling myself at his scary images, and spend some time in his room until he was able to go back to sleep.

Parents have the magic, writes Dr. Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph on KidsHealth.org. “With preschoolers and young school-age kids who have vivid imaginations, the magical powers of your love and protection can work wonders. You might be able to make the pretend monsters disappear with a dose of pretend monster spray. Go ahead and check the closet and under the bed, reassuring your child that all's clear.”

On the Nemours Child Health System blog, Dr. Ben-Joseph, discusses the topic of nightmares for children.

“No one knows exactly what causes nightmares. Dreams — and nightmares — seem to be one way kids process thoughts and feelings about situations they face, and to work through worries and concerns. …

“Nightmares aren't completely preventable, but parents can set the stage for a peaceful night's rest. …

“When kids awaken from a nightmare, its images are still fresh and can seem real. So it's natural for them to feel afraid and upset and to call out to a parent for comfort. …

 “Reassure your child that you're there. Your calm presence helps your child feel safe and protected after waking up feeling afraid. Knowing you'll be there helps strengthen your child's sense of security.”

But what if a child calls out to a parent for comfort and there are no parents there to be the calm presence? What if their nightmares stem from an experience of being taken away from their parents, churning up emotions of dread and fear and isolation in a strange place with strange people that continues days, weeks, months on end?

For our immigrant children being detained away from their parents, the nightmare is real even when they are awake.

Children are children, no matter where they are from.  Scripture recounts Jesus’ love and respect for children, never qualifying they must be from Judea or Galilee, but not Samaria: “And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’”

Jesus was angry. Perhaps not turning the tables over in the temple angry, but he saw the injustice and quickly put a stop to it. He was also adamant in the Gospel of Luke: "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.”

Somehow, I don’t think Jesus would be interested to hear our excuses about why so many of his little ones are having trouble sleeping.