GPS Response System

Last week, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting my grandson, Mason in the pediatric unit of Lancaster General Hospital. He has been sick for a couple of weeks with an unidentified viral infection. It has been a while since I have visited a child in a pediatric unit. As I think of it, it may have been when Kayla was in Allegheny General for her back surgery.

When I asked for his room number, they directed me to take the elevator to the third floor. When I got off the elevator, I realized that technology once again has changed our world for the better. As I approached the unit door of pediatrics, there was a station with a man there. He asked me the patients name, to see my driver's license and what my relationship to the patient was. It struck me that this was a good thing put in place to protect children within. I willingly cooperated and they provided me a name label with a bar code on it. The man pressed a button from the station to unlock the unit doors and I was able to enter.

I walked in the unit and noticed staff was keenly aware that I was new and watched me as I located Mason's room. I began my grandma evaluation of Mason's well being. As I looked at his little leg, there was a device attached tight to his ankle. I asked my daughter in law what that was for and she told me it was a GPS device. The device had a sensor in it that identified his whereabouts anywhere outside of the "safe zone" of the pediatric unit. It would sound alarms and hospital doors would lock if anyone tries to remove a child from the unit.

It struck me how great it would be if all Christian's leveraged their hearts as "GPS sensors". When one of our children or our own are in danger or moving out of the "safe zone", all surrounding Christian's hearts would be called to respond to the warning signal and bring them back to safety. I can only imagine what a powerful system that would be in this life and what result it would have in protecting our own as Jesus did for us. He speaks about the Disciples John 17: 11 "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one."