Prehistoric Weeds

Summer in the Midwest means that the weeds shoot up like, well, weeds. I don't hate weeding, but weeding is definitely not my favorite thing to do and the weeds on my front walkway are a little out of control (apparently weeds aren't very understanding and don't stop growing when the workers are in summer school). I know that I can praise and glorify the Lord doing any job I'm given, but it's really hard not to complain about weeding; it's a hot and tedious task and then there are the bugs - I keep uncovering bigger and bigger bugs, and I really don't like bugs. Major Ugh.

Lately I've been thinking about how the weeds were like in the Garden of Eden. When God kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden, He told them that the ground was now cursed and it would take a lot of work to get the right things to grow and to clear away the thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17 & 18); so how did the weeds behave before that? Did they have a unique purpose? Did they grow in neat lines and patterns? Or were they nonexistent? In any case, in the Garden of Eden, the weeds did not serve as a distraction from worshiping God as they do (at least for me) on the earth now.

While I cannot get into the Garden of Eden, I can look forward to heaven. I'm so excited for when I am worshiping with the weeds, and not when I'm weeding. And it's not just the weeds that will change; we will be getting a whole new body! I know that my body can majorly distract me from worshiping God. I get tiered, hungry, grumpy, sick, upset and more, all of which sadly divert me from glorifying God with my heart and actions. I won't have to deal with that in my new body and will get to be 100% focused on worshiping God. Heaven is going to be awesome!

But for now, I'll keep pulling up those unruly weeds, doing my best to praise God for His creation; even for the ugly, annoying plants that keep growing and spreading across the front yard.

Running Like Forrest Gump

I recently started running (nearly) every morning, and it is awful. If it were possible to un-invent anything I would nominate running (and maybe push-ups too). No one should have to force such horrible hardships upon their bodies. My dad was a runner, a really good runner, but I did not inherit the running loving genes from him; in fact I don't think that I have any type of running genes in me because I run like the younger Forrest Gump.

If you have not seen the movie, the main character is a renown runner, and his skills create many amazing opportunities for him; however, Forrest Gump was not always a fast runner, and a good portion of his childhood was spent in leg braces. These leg braces were interesting contraptions of metal and leather bolted together, reaching from Gump's thighs to the heels of his boots, causing him to have a awkward gait when he walked and a very funny looking, crooked running pattern. Forrest continues to wear the braces and move gawkily until, under the pressure of the close pursuit of bullies, he is force run hard and fast; the braces, too weak to keep up with the new level of speed, fall apart and Forrest finds himself running, truly running.

This scene of Forrest discovering the talent that the braces smother is given full Hollywood movie glory; played in slow motion with triumphant, soaring music in the background, the braces buckling and then breaking, pieces flying in all directions. As soon as the braces are thrown off, Forrest if able to 'run like the wind blows'. 

While I might not have any cumbersome gadgets that I can cast off to help me run more efficiently (other than maybe a few pounds that I choose to be blissfully ignorant of), my morning runs continuously make me think of Paul's analogy in Hebrews 12. "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." Our spiritual race is so much easier and definitely more proficient when we strip down and throw off the things that weigh us down, even especially the worldly hindrances that we turn to for comfort. I hope that you don't suffer the way I do when you run, but whatever type of running skills you have, take heed of Paul's advice and find great joy in casting off what cripples you; running straight to Jesus.

My Anatomy Adventure

Hey All! I hope that your summer has been amazing! I know that some of my friends have returned to the international mission field (Africa, Mexico, Romania, Panama) while others have followed God's call to stay and work diligently at what He brings to us at home. My own summer days have thus far been spent in a way that I would have never foreseen; hours and hours in a lab studying a human body. My school offers the unique opportunity of undergrad cadaver privileges, and as part of my anatomy class, I got to learn about the body by seeing, touching and taking apart a real body. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be working with a cadaver, I would have been thoroughly grossed out. Thank goodness the Lord open my eyes and gave me a new attitude about studying the cadaver, because I don't think I could have survived the class if He didn't. See, after about a week into the class, I realized that I have the amazing opportunity to explore God's favorite creation; His masterpiece, His very likeness and image (Ephesians 2:10, Genesis 1:26&27). God loves all of creation and His handiwork is seen in everything He has made, but humans are special, set apart.

When God created the sky and sea, He saw that it was good.

When God created the plants, He saw that it was good.

When God created the stars, moon and the sun, He saw that it was good.

When God created the creatures that swim in the water and those that crawl across the land, He saw that it was good.

When God created the wild animals and livestock, He saw that it was good.

But when God created man, He blessed them.

I had the chance to explore and learn about God's most prized possession, and I was going to take this opportunity to the fullest and study the cadaver to the very best of my ability. I would often stay in the lab until midnight, labeling the different organs, muscles and structures and following the connections between their functions and systems. I ended up earning a lab grade of 99%, but grades can only prove a fraction of what the student learned. I learned so much more than where to locate (and spell) the thoracolumbar fascia, I now better understand how intricate, fascinating, complicated - wonderfully made (Ps 139:13) - the human body is.