Advocare - Day 3

A little bit of a clustered mess of a morning. First, I overslept and had to rush around to feed the dogs, get dressed, and get to work on time 30 minutes late. I threw a bunch of stuff in my lunch bag for the day, and jumped in the car, only to realize that I left my breakfast on the counter! UGH! So, I had to improvise. I had packed extra fruit for a snack, so I just moved it up for breakfast. At least the fiber drink went down a little smoother than yesterday! There's a positive note. ;)

Here's my plan for the day: Breakfast - oatmeal and fruit with fiber drink. Lunch - lean beef with mini bell peppers and a tablespoon of guacamole. Snack - fruit and almonds. Dinner - salad with chicken and a light dressing, omegaplex vitamins. Snack - snap peas. Bedtime - Herbal Cleanse tablets. LOTS of water all day!!

This morning, my nursing students took the last unit exam for my class, and although I haven't seen the results for all of the class yet, I have had a line of people at my office door angry, crying, frustrated about their grades. This got me thinking. Why, at the end of the semester, after your test, would you come to me concerned about your grades?! I have been in this same office all semester. I have repeatedly told them, "if you don't understand something, come see me"! I would have been happy to tutor them, spend extra time with them, and make sure that they understood the content well enough that they wouldn't be in a concerned state about their grade at the end of the semester. The first question I keep asking them is "how much did you study?". The responses are varied, but for the most part, the students claim to have studied more for this test than any other, and they were expecting an "A" on this test because they made "C's" on all previous tests and needed to bring their grades up! <me: baffled> I want to respond with, "If you haven't put in the work all semester, and I have been telling you that the content and tests get progressively harder as the semester progresses, why would you NOW, at the end, feel that you can bring up the grade that you have apathetically let get low all semester?!" Instead I just listen and offer any support they need and try to explain the holes in their understanding of the content. How else should I respond?!

I am deciding to apply this to my life. For example, in this diet. If I eat crappy food and don't follow the cleanse the way it was designed, I will end up not losing weight... I have all of the tools at my fingertips, and I have the ability to do this with all of my ability, but if I don't apply myself and sacrifice some temporary pleasures so I can make a "good grade" on this, I will have wasted my time and wasted the experience.

Go deeper?! Ok. I kind of think it applies to my Christian journey. For example, I could live my life however I wanted without concern for God or His teachings, or I could commit myself to a life set apart, growing and developing as a Child of God. If I go my whole life without concern for God and expect the same rewards as someone who has been faithfully committed to Him, I will be very disappointed. All things come at a price. All good things require commitment and struggle. Without the struggle, there is no reward. (Not that the Christian life is only a struggle... There is immense joy in the sacrifices) I love that the Bible gives examples of farmers tilling the field. Without hard work, there would be no crop. Or the example of diamonds - without friction on the rocks, there would be no diamonds. I don't want to waste my time! I don't want to half-way do my life! I want to make an "A" at the end of all of this crazy mess we call "life"!!