Smellin' Roses

Please accept my apology for posting so late in the evening. I've been drowning in a wave of responsibilities this week and I'm sorry to say that blogging had to take a backseat to class, homework, phone calls, work, laundry...you get the idea.

Speaking of priorities...

I'm a really goal-oriented person. I've had a 10-year plan since elementary school. In spite of the fact that my plans have never really worked out exactly as I intended, the pot-of-gold mindset never left. I usually know exactly what I want and am ruthless until I find out how to get it (just ask the poor financial aid department at ASU). I like to think of myself as passionate, driven, and motivated. However, God in his grace has revealed to me (many times lately) that in all this rushing around, I have been obtuse and selfish.

I was riding my bike home from class late one night this week (I refuse to pay the $300 parking fee), peddling like mad and dreading all the work I knew was waiting for me at home. I kept reminding myself that in a few semesters, the worst will be over and all my work will pay off. Lately, I've been thinking about how often people use long-term goals for motivation. We do this with exercise regimens, education, careers, saving money, etc. Of course, long term thinking isn't inherently wrong- as a matter of fact, it's Biblical. Even so, how often do we so intently focus on the future that we forget about the present? I realized that in all my planning and pressing on, I had forgotten to stop and thank God that I even have the opportunity to go to school. This got me thinking about all the things we take for granted on a daily basis: life, family, friends, resources, redemption, etc. Thank God that this week, by His grace, I remembered each day, with all it's joys and hardships, is a gift. My daily attitude should be one of gratitude and worship for every class, homework assignment, dirty dish, and yes, even every call to the financial aid department at ASU.