I did something this week I did not want to do. I went with the police to do a wellness check on a church member. I stood in the cold and wet as they debated on how to get inside. I was worried about what we would find. Honestly, I had thought of doing this several days ago and put it off because I was afraid of what I might discover. I wish I hadn’t. Fortunately he was still alive, but in bad shape and is now in ICU.
We all have to do a better job of taking care of each other.
I have always operated under the “Do unto to others” policy, and what I typically want others to do unto me is to leave me alone. If I am sick I hate being asked how I am feeling, I want to ignore it. I hate feeling pressured if I miss something by being asked about why I was not there. So I tend to leave people alone.
Some people also operate under the “its not my job” policy. We expect someone else to do something about it.
For others its a matter of simple laziness and apathy, conditions that afflict all of us from time to time.
We all need to do a better job of taking care of each other.
One of the earliest questions asked of God in the Bible is “Am I my brother’s keeper?” While not stated as such the answer to that question is “YES!”
So the event this week and one not long ago makes me think we need to institute a program, or perhaps a service. I will be talking about this in church on Sunday as well. I am proposing a system where the church has a file containing emergency contact information and next of kin, any relevant medical history, funeral arrangements, and either a key or instructions on who has a key and can be called upon in case the emergency services need to get into your house. I am especially going to encourage anyone who lives alone to do this, but it is really for anyone.
All of this will be kept secure and confidential, locked up unless absolutely needed.
If you do not attend Fort Wayne Baptist but read this anyway I strongly encourage you to do find someone who can hold this information for you. We have an aging population and an increasingly chaotic world.
We all need to do a better job of taking care of each other, but we also need to do a better job of letting people take care of us.