A few hours after they woke up, Matthew started crying and screaming. I tried everything I could to calm him down and nothing helped. He started hitting his ear and yelling Stop! Ouch! So I called the Doctor. And waited and waited on hold. Once they answered the phone, Matthew was crying so loud that they couldn’t hear me. So, even though I felt terrible about it, I ran into the bedroom, shut the door, and left him crying and screaming in the hall.
While I was making the appointment, Samuel got home. Early! Praise God! If there was ever a time I really needed him to show up unexpected it was then.
We got the boys ready and headed to the doctor. When I got Josiah out of the car, he had a red rash on half of his face. I thought it was very odd, but Matthew was still the priority. The nurses and doctor checked Matthew and said he had an ear infection and cold.
I asked if a cold could cause a rash like Josiah’s and she said no. She checked him to and turns out he had strep and scarlet fever. My reaction. Scarlet Fever?!?!?!?! Wasn’t that a plague from history where people died? The good thing was that the reaction was entirely interior and I didn’t say any of that out loud. We picked up some meds from the pharmacy and were on our way home.
A few days into caring for sick kids and administering medicine and I start coughing. NO! I can’t get sick! I have a four and a half month baby to care for. I have to take care of his sick brothers. Not me! But as the days went by I got worse.
Until Saturday when I just didn’t get out of bed. The cough was terrible, my throat was so sore it was difficult swallowing water, my body ached and I had a terrible headache. Not to mention the abundance of mucus that I’m sure you don’t want to hear about.
So I was in bed all day Saturday and Sunday basically only waking up briefly to nurse Caleb and order food. Yes, that’s what happens when Mama’s sick in bed. The Sanchez family eats take out. Again Praise God that Samuel wasn’t sick and didn’t have to work.
So Monday morning my father in law came over and took the older boys to his house while Caleb and I went to the doctor. So now I’m almost halfway through my dose of antibiotics and although I still feel icky I can at least function and care for my family.
So what do I learn from all the ickies? I think about how it could have been an entirely different story if I hadn’t recognized the illness for what it is. If I had said well, Matthew’s crying and screaming because he’s misbehaving. Or hmmm Josiah’s rash is odd, but nothing to worry about. Or if I hadn’t recognized that I myself needed to go to the doctor.
Ok, so really I’m sure we would have survived. But there’s a sickness that’s MUCH worse. I’ve heard it said that we all have a terminal illness and it’s name is sin. It’s true we aren’t perfect, we aren’t holy, we aren’t righteous. We have this illness and we NEED a doctor. There’s only One who can cure us. There’s only One who can do His perfect work in us. There’s only one who can make us holy and righteous. But if we don’t recognize the illness, we will start to believe that we don’t need Him. And that is truly dangerous.
So go to the doctor!
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 2:17
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