The 'emergency device' you can rely on

I was worried about my brother, writes Eric Gaudion. He lives alone in sheltered accommodation which suits his special needs. Major surgery was on the horizon, and I knew that he might face some balance issues afterwards.

So, in advance I asked him about his emergency care call button, wondering where he was keeping it. He had no idea, of course, which was not a good start. It was supposed to be either always hanging around his neck or within reach near at hand, and its absence would certainly not have been much use in a real emergency or after a fall!

After much searching, I finally located it well hidden under a pile of socks deep in a bedroom drawer. Mind you, there was a fancy iPad-looking thing fitted to the wall of his lounge which he could also have used to summon help.

He has had several training sessions on how to use it, but when I asked him to show me how he would call for help on that device, he shrugged and indicated complete bemusement.

He had all the technical tools that he might need in a crisis, but they were of no value to him. One was lost through neglect while the other was inaccessible for want of understanding.

There was a wealth of helpful assistance and support right there in his flat, but it was completely denied to him, not through design or lack of provision, but through neglect and misunderstanding.

So, where are your spiritual emergency devices? Where would you turn in your Bible to find help in a crisis?

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