Spiritual help in crisis times

Lets face it, we may not be looking at our spiritual needs when all is well. We find it very natural in emergency and crisis situations to hit the ground on our knees. Whether or not you or I think this should be in the reverse order, this is no time to quibble when we realize we need to call upon God, or refuse to admit we need to, but still want to. Either way, I’m amazed at the consolation and the anxiety dissipation this provides. Numerous studies have been provided re prayer and the affect faith has on people’s mental health. I am the first to admit there are some quacks out there who need to be committed rather than be used as an example, but for a higher majority out there I believe our spiritual life greatly impacts our mental health for the positive. I could go on and on. There are many places to go if you are seeking help here, but if the power is out, the internet may not work, you may not have the books you wish, so try the phone. Get back into your yellow pages and look up numbers for churches most related to your faith background. Or if that has been no consolation in the past, try a different one. The pastors, priests and chaplains are there to serve you. You don’t have to attend their church or synagogue to be available to you. If you have access to an internet and want to just talk over the phone or have someone pray with you, you can access a site such as Focus on the Family, in which someone will pray with you, or Stormie Omartian’s site in which you can list your need for prayer. If you want a Bible, you can look up passages on Bible sites, which can have many understandable translations, not to mention various languages available. If you want a Bible in your hands, and find you don’t have one, go onto Amazon.com if you have internet access, or order from here. Or try a second-hand store. I have found many copies of Bibles there in various translations for less than a dollar.

If you look at the military, or police departments, they automatically have chaplains available for their personnel. This is due to the crisis situations they are involved with, the need to have someone to go through traumatic and critical incident debriefing with, the need to have someone unbiased to talk with. And if it makes you feel more comfortable, call one of them at the nearest police detachment. The clerical staff can contact the chaplain, who in turn can either spend time with you or refer you to another pastoral staff in the community that s/he feels would be most suited to your need or background. International airports have chaplain services, as do city hospitals and often smaller town hospitals also. Just realize you are not alone here.