The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Flat (01/03/13)
Code blue, Code blue second floor room 157. I saw respiratory therapists, nurses, and doctors urgently rushing up to the second floor.

Patients with heart conditions are monitored electronically by an EKG machine. A normal EKG would show three electronic peaks on the screen which is associated with each heartbeat.

When the heart beat stops the EKG machine registers a flat line which sets off an alarm at the nurses’ station.

A flat line represents no cardiac activity.

A patient with a flat line is no longer in a state of progress or advancement, their life has technically ended.

A flat line represents an emergency situation for the patient, unless emergency personnel can restore their heartbeat they will die.

That night I sat in my brown overstuffed easy-boy chair in deep thought.

“What are you thinking about?” My wife asked.

“Death” I coyly replied.

“Not exactly a party word.”

She took a sit realizing this conversation was going to be a little longer than she had planned.

“This morning while at the hospital I heard a code blue call over the intercom. I saw emergency personnel running to the patients’ room. I walked by the room and noticed a sea of white surrounding the patients’ bed. They were all franticly working to resuscitate the patient. Beside the bed stood the EKG machine humming the flat line sound of death.”

“That’s awful” My wife said.

“Yes, It is. However, the whole experience left me thinking about the spiritual realm. The bible says all those who don’t accept Christ are dead. Without Christ they are flat-liners and don’t even know it.”

My wife thought for a minute before she said.

“They look alive on the outside but everything on the inside is dead.”

“Exactly! They are living a code blue life and I see flat-liners all around me now. They walk by and I can sense that flat line humming sound of death. I can’t jump on them or beat on their chest to bring them back to the life of Christ. How do I reach them without preaching or sounding religious?”

“Love and compassion.” My wife said. “We must spread the message of Christ’s love and compassion to this dying world. Show them the rainbow”

“What do you mean show them the rainbow?”

“We do way too much talking and preaching about Christ and not enough showing. No matter which way you turn Christ He is like a beautiful rainbow. Show them the rainbow.”

The phone rang and my wife left me once again alone with my thoughts.

That night I fell asleep to the rhythmic drops of rain beating upon the roof top.

The next morning I jumped in the car and rushed off to work coffee in hand.

I came to a red light, glanced over to my right and there painted in the sky hung a triple rainbow of color.

I vowed right then and there to show the flat-liners of the world the beauty of Christ.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 873 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
lynn gipson 
01/10/13
This is very thought provoking when you explain how people who don't Christ are walking flat liners. I have never thought of it that way but how true. Very well done!
Dannie Hawley 
01/10/13
Very thought-provoking article! I'd never thought of it this way and a super use of the topic to make your point. Just a couple of thoughts to consider... normally a room on the second floor would be numbered in the 200's so as not to confuse new employees or folks unfamiliar with the structure of the building. As you might imagine, a Code Blue situation would be a very important example of personnel needing to have the right floor. Secondly, it would more likely be the EKG monitor in the patient's room, rather than the EKG machine, itself, making the flat line sounds. The machine is rolled into the room, whereas the monitor is there already, hooked up to the patient, making the alarm sound to get everyone's attention. Just a couple of minor points, not relevant to the story at all, but useful should you desire to do more medical kinds of stories. Of course, this is the way in the USA but may not be in your own country, should it be elsewhere. In any case, you've done a terrific job on this article!
Lori Dixon
01/11/13
Interesting take on the topic! The dialogue was very believable and I could 'see' the couple.
Well done!
Eddie Snipes
01/11/13
Good message. Thanks for the inspirational article.
Lollie Hofer 
01/12/13
I liked the comparison of a flat line on the monitor to a person who doesn't know Christ. Thanks for sharing.
C D Swanson 
01/12/13
Great job...such a creative way of presenting the topic. I loved the entire piece. It was fabulous.

God bless~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
01/16/13
This is a good devotion. I liked how you demonstrated a situation that most could relate to in the beginning and then transitioned to a spiritual message.

Double check your punctuation. You need commas at the end of a quotation before the words he said. Also if you use a tagline like he said it is part of the sentence with the dialog. Ex "Look," he said. I'm not sure if it was a style choice for emphasis, but you repeated flat line quite often and I'm not sure if you needed to define it as thoroughly as you did.

The best part is your message. It came through loud and clear and wasn't at all preachy. I actually pictured people walking around with a little bubble over their heads and a flat EKG line. This was a delight to read. You did a great job with this piece.