Good morning! This morning's offering will be more practical than inspirational but if heeded, may save a coworker's life. It was inspired as I read about a group of parents who, at a high school athletic event, saved a teen's life who had been inadvertently hit near the heart by another player's lacrosse stick. (A defibrillator had been routinely taken to all games should such an unlikely event take place...and it did!) I also read of a woman who administered CPR to a friend at work who was having some type of heart attack. The woman's life was spared because a coworker was ready to act in such an emergency. I am reminded of a night many years ago when I was eating out with my family and a young adult man, at a nearby table, was literally choking to death. It was my opportunity to administer the Heimlich maneuver to him and he survived the horrible experience. I had just been trained in the procedure.
CPR and basic life-saving techniques are taught regularly by the Red-Cross and other certified medical individuals and many workplaces today offer such training sessions. If you are not certified, get certified. If you are an employer, insist on this for your employees if you have not already done so and help save a life within your organization. If you are an employee, ask your boss or supervisor to organize and promote such training in your office or organization. We often read about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and put much emphasis on such themes as prejudice, unconditional love and being in too big a hurry to help. What is often overlooked is that one man administered medical attention to another in an emergency situation then turned him over to someone who could possibly help him further. If you're looking for a biblical mandate there it is. Regarding Christ our Savior and perfect model, much of His earthly ministry was relative to healing. Granted, physical healing is not the highest of spiritual purposes, but it certainly is appreciated by every member of the human race, especially when life itself is in jeopardy!
The Samaritan didn't expect to stumble upon a man who was nearly dead that day. You and I aren't expecting it in our workplace today, either. Knowing that it can and ultimately will happen in most workplaces at some point, take the necessary steps to get trained in a CPR and basic life-saving techniques. Your workplace challenge is not to shrug off this challenge! Rather, talk with your employer about regular, systematic training and/or re-certification. Understand this to be a Christian act of love, compassion and preparation. Other than leading someone to Christ, what could be more rewarding than to be used to sustain or literally save another human life? "But a Samaritan... felt compassion... and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him." (Luke 10:33,34) Have a great day. Make it count for His glory!