Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3

I cannot stand to be stuck behind slow walkers. I'm not talking about people who simply cannot walk fast. I'm talking about those who choose to meander at a snail's pace. I love you; I just don't like how you walk.

If you are walking ahead of me at the store, I will take the smallest opening to zoom past you. Grocery shopping is not pleasurable. It is a necessary evil, and it must be finished in as short a time as possible.

I'm a slow walker. Everyone is. Some of us walk faster physically, but spiritually, we are slower than turtles.

Sanctification is a slow process. That's why I get so impatient with myself and others. I can try to hurry it up, but I end up tripping and falling into a trap of sin. Two steps forward, one fall into a hole.

One cannot hasten holiness. Why do you think we are given a lifetime to prepare for heaven, to prepare to meet our Maker face to face?

This is a daunting thought, but it is also full of hope. Jesus is both the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus made a way for us to be right with God--as long as we have confessed Jesus as Lord and believed in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9), we are in right standing with God--and He continues to purify us from all unrighteousness as we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).

Becoming like Jesus is both instant and life-long. We live in Christ since we have died to the flesh (Galatians 2:20), and He became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). And we are being made perfect. We are still following Jesus, seeking His face, dying to ourselves and running the race.

That race is a marathon run at about .01 miles per hour. But we're gonna get there! We've been promised, and God never fails.

Keep walking. I'm going to try to hold myself back and not pass you on this one because I know I'll only trip and fall. Let's slow down and savor each moment with our Savior. He's right beside us, slow as we are.

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.
Proverbs 12:16

I had to get bloodwork done the other day, so I went down to the outpatient lab. I happened to be sick with a cold that day, but that wasn't the reason I was there. I did my best to contain my coughs in my sleeve and use hand sanitizer after blowing my nose.

This guy sitting a couple chairs over from me pulls his coat up over his face every time I cough. Very obvious. Shifts in his seat, too. I think he's there with his elderly mother. She seems fine.

You know, there are a lot of germs in that room whether I contribute to them or not.

So I go back when they call my name, close my eyes (I'm slightly uncomfortable with watching needles poke through my skin), get it done, and come back out to the waiting room to put on my coat. In order to put on my coat, I have to set down my purse and water bottle. So I do, on the little table right there with the kids books.

As I set down my likely infected purse, I do feel a slight, maybe I shouldn't because I'm sick, but, after all, this is a waiting room at a healthcare facility. And how else am I supposed to get my coat on?

"I can't believe she just set down her purse."

I'm zipping up my coat now.

"What, dear?"

Snapping the snaps.

"She's sick. She's got some kind of cold or something."

Pick up my purse and turn to leave the room.

It was the guy and his mother. Talking loud enough that I could hear across the waiting room, and everyone else in between. As if they couldn't already tell from my coughing and nose blowing that I'm sick.

If we were healthy, doctors wouldn't require us to get bloodwork done.

I know in moments like these I'm supposed to pray, but instead of praying for God to speak truth to me about the situation and calm my heart, I want to pray for Him to please help the ignorant people to learn some public manners. His mother must have slacked off in that area.

Let it go, Faith. Because the Great Physician didn't come to work with the well. He came to suffer with, and ultimately heal, the sick. And I am just as sick spiritually as anyone in that waiting room, and I need the remedy just as desperately.

I think God ordered a little bloodwork for me that day, too. Just to check my levels. Because a healthy child of God bears the fruits of patience, self-control, love and gentleness. And a child of God can turn the other cheek because she knows Daddy's got it. He's not going to let this be for naught.

Maybe being frowned upon in the waiting room isn't a big deal. It wounded my pride that day (my hair looked particularly good Monday morning), but there are worse trials to bear, and you may be walking through one of them.

May I just repeat to your soul, sister, Daddy's got this. You are only responsible for you. Trust that He'll take care of the clean up of your heart and all the other messy pieces.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14

So I've been blowing my nose quite a bit lately and I decided to find out where mucus comes from. Gross, I know. But I'm married to a doctor, so I should really begin to educate myself about these things.

You know why your body puts out a whole lot of snot when you're sick? Mucus traps bacteria and other foreign agents in an attempt to prevent them from inhabiting your lungs. There's a reason for everything.

I just started praising God after reading about mucus. It's crazy, I know, but this is the work of a Designer who is also the Great Physician. Just wow. He thought of everything!

In my ignorance I thought the snot and sore/scratchy throat were the common cold itself. But no, they are the, albeit inconvenient, way my body prevents the virus from doing more damage!

This is very exciting to me today, for some reason. I just keep looking at my the design of my hands--if I ever were to become a doctor myself, I would be a hand surgeon--and blowing my nose and thanking God. I'm sick of being sick (been sick on and off since Christmas), but I'm so thankful that my body is doing exactly what God designed it to do to prevent worse illness and complications.

In summary, praise God for mucus!

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:15-16

Trust is something you give someone. When we offer our trust to God, it is not a, "Come through or I won't trust you anymore" situation. It is a gift that shouldn't be taken back, one with which we say, "I will trust You even though I may not see You working."

I'm reading a book called, "Sacred Pathways," written by Gary Thomas. In it, Thomas explains different ways our souls can connect to God - through solitude, celebration, nature, etc. Many of us find that one pathway leads us to worship better than another. I just finished the chapter on Traditionalists, those who connect to God best through ritual and symbolism. These sentences jumped out at me.

Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways

This is why seasons like Lent can be so hard. During times of fasting, we offer a sacrifice to God - a gift of faith. We say, "Here I am, Lord. No strings attached." Yet I (and maybe you) often want to add, "But it would be awesome if You would bless me in a special way during this time." The point of sacrifice is to honor God. Honoring God from a pure heart can only draw us closer to Him, which is the end goal of the Christian life, is it not?

Many of us have found, however, that fasting can be a time of silence - not just from ourselves, but from God. He feels distant. The austerity of deprivation can emphasize the austerity of God's holiness, which seems to detract from His characteristics as Father and Friend.

Think about this, though, that we do not give our trust to someone who hasn't earned it. When you call up a friend to tell her sensitive news, you better be sure she has your back - and isn't biting it.

All it comes down to, then, is do you think God has earned your trust? Has He been faithful to you? Has He ever broken His promises?

When you offer a sacrifice of faith to God, you are trusting that He is righteous, good and faithful. You give it to Him, no questions asked, and know that He will do what needs to be done.

Many of us give up something for Lent - chocolate, sweets, Facebook, TV, etc. The goal is to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to help us remember to pray.

On Fat Tuesday, we eat paczkis, gorge on chocolates, and finish up the TV series reruns before we have to give it all up for 40 days on Lent.

When Easter comes, we rejoice that we can once again indulge our sweet tooth on chocolate Easter bunnies and turn on the TV to satisfy our desperate need for entertainment.

Remind me again of the reason we give up these things?

Self, and all the rest of you, do you rush through time with a life-giving friend to get home to watch your show? Do you excuse yourself early from a dinner date with your love to get lost in a pile of meaningless FB likes and empty candy wrappers?

When you love someone, being with that person is the reward. I don't have kids, but I've heard so many parents say they want to hurry up and finish their work day to get home to be with their children. I've heard so many grandparents say they wish they lived closer to their grandkids. Just to be with them.

We are not naturally selfless, which is why Lent can be so helpful - to train our hearts and minds to turn to Christ, our Savior and Lord, whenever we are tempted to look to our niceties for satisfaction. We do not naturally love our Lover, which is why we must be intentional about setting aside precious time to gaze into His eyes and be captivated by His love alone.

What if we looked forward to Lent? It may be a time of sobriety and reflection, but what joy to walk and talk with our Friend! Why would we dread such a privilege, when sharing in Christ's sufferings means to also share in His glory (Romans 8:17)!

What if on Fat Tuesday, instead of one last effort to enjoy life before drudgery, we had a celebration, rejoicing that we are about to commence on a journey with Christ to the cross, a journey to know Him more and share in His sufferings and resurrection and glory and Life!

Christ is the treasure. Christ is the reward. Celebrate today, and walk with Him every day this season, clinging to the hope of the resurrection. Grace and peace to you.