Train Hard

Hey everyone! I apologize for the extended absence -- I've had a lot going on. I promise that I've been writing though, albeit for a somewhat different audience; I'm not sure how well a discussion surrounding the oleaginous zones of sorghum agglomerates that have undergone high-shear extrusion processes would fit with this demographic of readers. Selah. I'll save you the trauma of reading my senior design project report, but overall it went well, is finished, and is finally submitted! Praise be.

It's been a long haul, and I think I might treasure my 80+ page report more than my actual diploma. Eighty times as many pieces of paper means it's that much more valuable, right? Ha. It was definitely a lesson in endurance, though, and has helped me move away from my social-media-induced ADD. I kind of had to learn to focus for more than ten-minute increments to help write 17,000 words about cereal. But now I can safely say that I'm your girl if you have any food science questions related to granola. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure:

Yummy granola cereal made from sorghum that can also be cooked into an all-natural, fruity porridge. Think cream of wheat, but way healthier and way, way more delicious!

My senior design project is one of those things that makes me feel very accomplished. Working on it for so long and having poured out so much of myself, it almost has become like a part of me. (I am now 99% human and 1% sorghum.) It's kind of like running a mini-marathon: in it for the long-haul, and finally crossing the finish line hurts so good; although I'm not sure whether running extremely long distances for no reason or committing four months of my life to the study of sorghum makes me question my sanity more. 

More valuable than the academic savvy I gained from this project, though, were the lessons in patience, perseverance, and critical thinking I learned. While my spiral-bound sorghum smarts will sit on a bookshelf for the rest of eternity, I'll be able to apply those other lessons to all areas of my life on a daily basis. (I'm not sure I can say the same about running half-marathons. That just made me tired.)

Character lessons are important not only for professional settings, but for spiritual settings as well. There are some sins in my life that I've been battling for a while, and when I'm worn and weary I tend to lose motivation. Maybe you can relate? But while there isn't anything spiritual about sorghum or sprinting, practices that require endurance can help equip us to persevere in our relationship with God. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:8-10,

"8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe."

I'm reluctant to over-spiritualize secular matters -- though apparently #RepsForJesus is trending on Instagram. But, there is some value in being open to learning life lessons from everyday things. The food product my senior design team created was in tandem with USAID, targeted to feed hungry children. It's more than philanthropy, though. It can be philosophy as well, and it was. It taught me about individual strengths and weaknesses that create a need for unity in the body of Christ. It taught me about leaning into God's strength when I feel drained and weak. It taught me about breathing through the stress and remembering that the things I labor for are not of this world. 

Huh.

Turns out, there may have been more to my degree objective than I originally thought.