I took a tumble down the stairs – only four or five steps of it – but it was enough to convince me as I sat in that stairwell that yes, I should buy one of those medical alert buttons.
I had thought for a while about getting one, even though I am healthy and fairly young. I prayed about it. As a widow living alone and a freelance writer working out of my house, I worried that if something happened it could be days before anyone checked on me. My grown son, who lives about an hour away in traffic, said I was being silly. But I wanted that security.
Now I have a red button around my neck, one by the bathtub, and a huge illuminated one on a panel by my phone. All I have to do is push it and someone is there to help. When I tested it the first time and a friendly voice sounded at the other end, I felt relief. I joked, “I hope I won’t have to hear your voice very often.” She laughed and replied, “We are always here, and even if you don’t call us, from time to time we’ll check in on you.”
A chill went up me. I could hear God telling me that as well. “I am always here and even if you don’t call, I will check in on you.”
Of course, unlike the medical alert, with God, it is best to hit the button and talk with Him often during the day. Our spiritual well being is so much more precious than our temporal and physical one here on earth, though we should care for it as a temple. With God, there is no “crying wolf”. The medical alert people might get a little annoyed if I abused that red button and called them each time a I got a paper cut or a tummy ache, or was just lonely and wanted to chat. But, our Heavenly Father prefers we not be so stoic and come to Him with each little thing.
Never feel that God is too busy running the universe to pay attention to your little problems. That diminishes His power in your mind. He is very capable of multi-tasking. He is never too busy to listen when one of His children presses the red button and asks, “Are you there?” Now, that’s security.
In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
(Psalm 18:6 ESV)
