Diligence

Now three weeks into school, we have carved our routine out into predictable patterns on the tablets of this new year. The freshness, always pleasant and invigorating, is turning into normalcy. The books are showing their first marks of wear. The pencils' erasers are not perfectly pink anymore. And here is where the hard work starts, where the put-your-head-down-and-just-do-it attitude must kick into gear.

This year I chose the word "diligence" as our year's virtue to concentrate on. On the first day of school we see a giant pile of books, so many chapters to be read, questions to answer, ideas to wrestle with. For myself, I see attitudes to be dealt with, relationships to be nurtured, the mountain of work it takes to feed and care for a large family while also working my job from home. Oh, it is all a gift. It is all wonderful stuff, but it does look like Mt. Everest at the very beginning. How will we get to the top? Will we survive?

Diligence and discouragement are like feuding cousins, that second one always lurking about, tempting you around every corner. But diligence will always win the prize, and her fruit is sweet. Diligence has a far-sighted, optimistic perspective, but she always takes advantage of the present moment. Discouragement has a blurred and shortened view of things. She feels alone and unable, seeking momentary pleasure here and there. Diligence asks for help from those around her. She knows she has an army of helpers surrounding her. She laughs at the time to come because her hope is in something much grander than herself. I know which one I want to be like.

Will we survive this mountain? The resounding answer is "yes!". Along with all these gifts of work God has given us, He has given us a way to achieve it. Diligence is a real key here. We do it, asking for His help each moment, chapter by chapter, day by day, one little bit at a time. I can't wait until the end of the year when we get to celebrate what's behind us, what God helped us accomplish. We will get there, with our heads down and blinders on, one little step at a time.