Caring for the needy

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

It has been my privilege to visit many parts of the world, not necessarily as a tourist visiting places of popular interest but usually to see the work which dedicated men and women are doing to help others.  One such place was a leprosy hospital in India.  

Leprosy is a terrible disease because it is not just dreadful in its physical effects on the human body but carries a social stigma.  People are so fearful of contracting the disease because those with it are ostracised.  Lepers are considered unclean and are kept away from normal human contact and are unable to gain normal employment or live with their family.  Its physical affects are hideous as the fingers and toes can lose all feeling and can be lost.  The facial features can become distorted and eventually the patient will die if helpful treatment is not received.  The situation is made worse by the fact that in impoverished places rats can be a scourge.  We can imagine these people asleep at night and a rat nibbles at a finger or toe and with no feelings they are very quickly losing those digits.  That is why leprosy doctors considered the provision of a cat to be essential for those suffering with leprosy.  

Your health and welfare

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Sometimes when I sit down to write this column, I find that 101 things fill my mind, and I can’t quite focus on writing. Life is busy, and we often lose our focus because we have so many things bouncing about in our heads. 

There is a little statement in the book of Psalms, and it says this ‘Be still, and know that I am God,’ Psalm 46:10. Stillness is something that many of us crave and that most of us find very difficult to achieve. It is possible to be so preoccupied with living that we forget what life is really about.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ was very aware of this, and so he would on occasion call his disciples to take a break from the busyness of life and come aside and rest for a while. So, therefore, I want to invite you as you read this article to put aside anything that will distract you and come apart from the busyness of your life and reflect, rest, and consider this most important matter of your personal welfare. 

Your PPE for 2021 (Believers take note)

Used by permission of Unsplash 

 
Provision of personal protective equipment for people who are dealing with coronavirus cases has been a big problem in many places. It is a shame that for lack of it, some dedicated medical staff and carers have been more at risk.
 
The three letters, PPE, have become the quick way to describe things like face masks, visors, gloves, overalls and so on – you hear it all the time! But if you were not ‘in the know’ you might wonder what PPE was! However, we use abbreviations (acronyms) like these all the time. For example, we refer to CT scans at hospital, we take precautions to avoid UV light, traffic police talk of RTAs, there are SVQs in education and training, we have MPs and MSPs, and one of these nights (a bit later on!) you might have a BBQ. I’m sure you can add a few more to the list, but can’t forget the NHS!