Diligence
Yesterday morning I dropped my mother off at the door of the church auditorium so she could head on in to Ladies Bible class while I parked the car. When I got to my spot between pews, oh, about 4 and 5, on the left side of the auditorium, my ladies just about filled two rows. As usual, I took off my shoes and sat on the back of pew #4 with my feet on the padded seat of pew #5. We have small classrooms where we could meet, but this is where the ladies were sitting when I started teaching; and we’ve just stayed. I decided on this teaching posture because I like to be close to them. It works, though I admit that I am sometimes a bit stiff after an hour of that stance.
We always begin class with prayer requests. Our church secretary comes in just long enough to write them all down for the Sunday church bulletin and then we start class. The ladies enjoy visiting with each other so much that we never start on time. I just let them talk for a while; and then, when I can get in a word, we start the prayer requests. I am always sorry to stop their visiting.
We had several serious prayer requests yesterday, including one for a woman named Ann and her husband. I don’t know either of them but Ann grew up here. We needed to pray for this couple because Ann’s husband’s health has gotten to the point that she is no longer able to care for him by herself. Do you know how long he has been sick? Forty years.
In our study time we continued  in Romans 12, including verse 11:
. . . not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord . . .
“Not lagging behind in diligence” Â — Ann could teach us something about that!
I believe home is an excellent place to learn diligence. Homeschooling mothers can:
- Be an example of diligence in the way they live every day in front of their children, and
- Give their children the opportunity to experience the joy that comes from following through and seeing tasks through all the way until they are completely finished.
Yesterday when I was thinking about what picture I might include to illustrate diligence, I remembered this tea towel that was in my laundry. I embroidered it when I was a young girl. Mother gave me the opportunity, the towel, the thread, and the instruction. A task as simple as embroidering a tea towel can teach a child what it feels like to finish something.
As parents we give our children many kinds of precious possessions. The gift of diligence will pave their way to obtain more joys and blessings than we could ever give them ourselves.
A lazy man does not roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a man is diligence.
Proverbs 12:27, NASB
Another good blog, Charlene! I really appreciate your thoughts today; what you say relates to two different things that have been buzzing in my brain within the last couple of days. One is in terms of how we feed and nourish our children. It takes diligence to do this with any intentionality; as we do this day in and day out, with purpose, teaching our children along the way about what we are feeding them and why, then when they are adults they are not just healthy but they are prepared to nourish their own family as well. They won’t have to start from scratch like so many of us have had to do. The second area buzzing in my brain is regarding my oldest daughter. Your blog today was affirmation and I so appreciate it. We gave her a sewing machine several years ago, and while it was a cheap machine it has at times felt like an extravagant gift. I have tried to teach her along the way the little I know about sewing. This week, she has used the machine like crazy, sewing with confidence, and has produced two impressive costume items. I was feeling guilty about her having too much free time! Can you believe it? Thank you for helping me connect the dots to see this in a positive and affirming light! Bless you!
Thank you, Amy. You are, as they say in England, spot on in everything you said. I’m glad you got affirmation, because giving her time to create is such a blessing and one she can use the rest of her life.