In the late 1980’s there was a commercial on TV which took the nation by storm and yielded one of the most recognized catchphrases of the decade. A company named Lifecall created a device which was targeted at the elderly, who may find themselves in precarious situations needing to call for help. This contraption hung around a person’s neck and if something happened, they could simply press a button and help would respond. It is kind of like OnStar for the body. The TV commercial demonstrated how the device was used by acting out real life scenarios. The one most famous is an elderly lady named Mrs. Fletcher who has fallen and can’t get up; thus giving us the phrase “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
The other day I could have used one of these. I could not find a laundry basket upstairs anywhere so I decided to tightly wrap all the dirty laundry in a large towel. As I was carrying this oversized load down the basement stairs, I tripped on something and fell right down the stairs with clothes flying everywhere. Leah was working upstairs and the kids were playing in the family room. I’m certain the kids could have heard my thud, thud, thud down the stairs but they swear they heard nothing. Yea, right! A 200 pound body makes a big splash! Even if my wife would have been in hearing distance, she would have glared at me from the top of the stairs laughing…mostly because I would have done the same if it was her! Suffering alone, I mumbled something under my breath –and no, it didn’t have four letters…at least I don’t think so. I checked for any obvious wounds only finding a few, while the most pain came when I woke up in the middle of the night with a stiff shoulder. I survived.
Falling down the stairs can be a dangerous thing, especially for those who are older (although some of you probably consider me decrepit). When we are fragile it is important to have people around who can be there to help in case an emergency or need arises. Many elderly people think they are capable of handling things on their own and refuse to ask for help. I know a few Christians like this. They think they can handle things on their own so they refuse to surround themselves with people who can support them in their spiritual journey. Solomon warned against this type of attitude: “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
Who is around when you fall and can’t get up?
