Why Taking the Wrong Medicine Can Kill You

My husband had been taking the medicine three times a day for three days, but he wasn’t getting any better. In fact, his symptoms seemed to worsen with every cough. The two-day sick leave the doctor granted had ended, and as he dressed for work, coughing spells left him breathless.

“I’d better pack your antibiotic with your lunch,” I said, remembering he would need to take it at midday. As I shook the pill into my hand, I looked at it suspiciously.

“This doesn’t look like any antibiotic I’ve ever seen,” I commented. Checking the label, I didn’t recognize its four-syllable long generic name. As I squinted to read the pale print that listed its name-brand equivalent, I identified it immediately. 

And it was NOT an antibiotic. 

It was a cough suppressant.

For three days my husband had been taking the WRONG medicine. Instead of taking a medication formulated to kill the germs infecting his chest and sinus cavity, he’d been dutifully swallowing a medicine that, at best, could only minimize his symptoms.

In all sincerity, he had taken something that made him feel slightly better in the short term, but ultimately left him sicker than before.

A phone call to the nurse revealed the problem. The doctor had indeed prescribed an antibiotic, along with a decongestant, and a cough suppressant. The pharmacy, however, had filled only  two of the three prescriptions, somehow missing the most important one—the one with the power to cure my husband’s illness.

Many people are like my husband. They are sick. Spiritually sick, that is. They sincerely dose themselves with what they think has the ability to cure them. Some try alcohol, some sex, some drugs. Others religiously swallow doses of charitable giving, volunteer hours, or church attendance. Although they sincerely believe their acts will cure them of emptiness, loneliness, fear, or guilt, the longer they continue taking the wrong medicine, the sicker they become.

There is only one cure for the sin sickness that plagues humanity—a relationship with Jesus Christ. And only God, the Great Physician, can prescribe the correct medicine to our dying friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Amazingly, we can be  part of the cure. We can share the story of our own spiritual sickness. We can testify how Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals, cured us.  We can introduce them to the Great Physician, and he can make them well.

Do you know someone who is sick today? Ask God to give you the courage to share “the reason for the hope that lies within you” (1 Peter 3:15).

If you enjoyed this devotion, may I tell you about my new book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women?

 Today's women want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. 

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul. 
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life. 

Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.



Delivered by FeedBurner

Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.