Excuses

 

I was at another building to lead some professional development today and walked through our alternative high school program.

A sign on the wall caught my attention.

“Excuses make today easy but they make tomorrow hard. Discipline makes today hard but tomorrow easy.”

I thought of that repeatedly as I watched students at school today.

“I don’t feel like doing the assignment.”

“I left my paper in my locker”.

“I was distracted so didn’t do any work.”

“Since you helped me finish my assignment yesterday I took a nap today in language arts. It will be on my late list tomorrow and I’ll do it then.”

“They made me mad so I hit him. It was a natural reaction.”

Making today, or this moment easier.  Making tomorrow harder.

Each of them.

My first friend will now have to either use his evening free time to complete his work or somehow complete two tomorrow.

The next will have to use one of his limited passes to go retrieve his paper.  He will miss instructional and valuable work time.  

Distraction is real, but giving into it won’t help build that necessary skill.  She may well need a new seat, to get permission to listen to music or to ask to work elsewhere but ignoring the issue will only reinforce her inability to focus.  

Always playing catch up isn’t a healthy way to function.  By waiting to only work on the late list she takes away the peace and satisfaction from being on top of her work load.

Finally, when we build our skills to increase our options for natural reactions we gain self-discipline and control.  We become more Christ-like and we limit Satan’s tool of contention.

Marvin J Ashton explained, “One form of self-deceit is rationalization. We prevent the Lord from being with us because we stray from his paths and explain our actions by consciously or unconsciously making excuses. We say to ourselves: “I did it just to see what it was like.” “Everyone else was doing it.” “I didn’t want to be different.” “There was no other way to be accepted graciously.” Or “He made me do it.”

The companionship of good cheer is possible through keeping the commandments of God, not through rationalization. 

This quote is now on the wall in my room.  

I asked my young friends what they thought it meant and one shared, “It means we have to think more than just right now.  Like at least 5 minutes ahead.”

Yes.  At least five minutes.  It’s a great way to start work on thinking Celestial!!