Nebulizer salvation?

Yesterday I took Andrew to his first "sick baby" doctor appointment. I wasn't going to, but when I called the nurse help line to ask what I could do to make him more comfortable, the nurse was very concerned that his cold is moving to his chest and insisted I bring him in. So after 3 hours of going back and forth of whether to cancel the newly-made appointment, we went.

His symptoms pointed me to a chest cold, my Facebook friends to Croup, and the Doctor to Bronchiolitis. I think I was right. The Bronchiolitis test came back negative and the Doc ruled out Croup. Diagnosis: something viral making him wheeze (which could only be heard via stethescope) and cough (only occasionally but deep and gurgly like on a Mucinex commercial).

In other words, a chest cold.

Per Doctor's orders we now have a nebulizer with dinosaur child's mask, a month's supply of medicine for the nebulizer (which is the second prescription since the first was WAY too expensive), and a prescription for the steroid just in case we decide to take the Doc's advice and over-medicate our son. Don't get me wrong - I liked the doctor we saw yesterday... he was friendly and knowledgeable and great with Andrew, and I'm all for a steroid if the child can't breathe. But for milder symptoms than I'm currently having and a baby who still laughs, smiles, and wants to play... Andrew seriously doesn't need a steroid. Seriously.



I am thankful for this experience because in it I see a picture of our need for a savior and the perfection of God's salvation:

We are like Andrew. We have symptoms we don't understand, don't know the cause, don't know the extent, don't know how to fix, and can't communicate. Actually, we're not like Andrew... Andrew is clearly alive and scripture specifically states that we are DEAD in our sin. But stay with me anyway for the purpose of my illustration. Andrew cannot help himself and neither can we.

Praise God he is nothing like our earthly doctors! Andrew has several symptoms but we still really don't know what the cause is and don't know what the actual cure will be. Thankfully this isn't an episode of "House"... I'm betting his body will fight off whatever it is and the nebulizer will be used sparingly just to open up those airways occasionally to give him some relief.

Our spiritual death has many symptoms but it only has ONE cause and ONE remedy. Either we receive that remedy and are brought to LIFE or we do not receive that remedy and continue in DEATH. Those are our options. No half-way healing here.

PRAISE GOD he knows (inside and out, fully, completely, seriously knows without a doubt) our cause of death. And PRAISE GOD he knows the treatment (he devised this remedy, after all, and it was planned PERFECTLY for our benefit and his glory!)

(And we don't even have to spend hours on the phone with the insurance company convincing them to cover the medicine.)

PRAISE GOD he planned, before the foundation of the world no less, to reveal our sin with the Law and then perfectly fulfill it himself. And then sacrificially die a sinner's death anyway so that he could be our substitute and allow us to live again. And then transfer his own righteousness to us so we can live with him FOREVER.

Praise God he doesn't have to make educated guesses like the doctor we saw yesterday.

Thank you, Jesus, for being obedient, even to the point of death on a cross.

And thank you, Lord, for creating our bodies with the ability to fight infection. You truly are the Great Physician, Creator of life, Almighty God.