Don't Treat the Symptoms

Tis the season for sick kids. My son came home from school with a fever last week, and after taking care of him for a couple of days with no improvement, I took him to the doctor.

Double ear infection.

I was surprised to say the least...he never once complained that his ears were hurting. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and we are on the road to recovery, because she made the diagnosis that I never suspected. That's why she is the doctor and I'm not, I suppose.

Let's transfer that to the Big Picture...our Great Physician. Oftentimes we present with symptoms that seem to signify one thing, but God sees it an entirely different way. In our own strength, we try to treat what we think is the issue, without digging any deeper, and we often make the situation worse.

Today, for example, I am edgy. I'm restless. I'm a little sad and a little lonely. On the surface, I was trying to think of someone to call for a lunch date, but no one that I thought of was available. I could go shopping. I actually have time and money in the same pile right now, but I know that isn't the answer. Instead, I sat at my kitchen table, eating chips and salsa, and read Philippians 4, because at the bottom of my edgy, restless, sad loneliness is anxiety. There are some things completely beyond my control that are on my mind. I suggested that someone else in a bad spot to read Philippians 4 and thought I should probably take my own advice.

Soup, salad, breadsticks, and light conversation would have distracted me for awhile, but not really helped in the long term. Only actively seeking the company of Jesus will have lasting effects. He promises rest for our souls when we are weary and anxious, to feed us with Living Water when we thirst, that He is the Bread of Life.

I think that Bread and Water make an excellent lunch.