Do things diligently.
Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but every one who is hasty comes only to want.”
Let’s talk about diligence as a matter of duty to others.
We try to teach our children that their work is important. Whatever work it may be, it affects other people, so we have to do it carefully, correctly and completely. Are we perfect in this? NO! We learn on a daily basis at my house.
The one assigned as bathroom cleaner who doesn’t carefully clean, does a huge disservice to the next bathroom user. His work needs to be corrected before using the bathroom.
The one assigned to laundry must make sure to keep up, otherwise, someone won’t have their socks, the bathroom won’t have clean towels etc.
If dishes are left at night, the one who makes breakfast needs to clean up first, giving them two jobs, and leaving more than one person waiting for a meal.
You must do things thinking about how it will affect the next person. Any child is going to question this. They are going to want to know why they should be pleasing other people. Our goal is not to please other people, but please Christ. In turn, when we please the Lord it’s reflected in a positive way. If the child’s heart has a love for the Lord, they will immediately want to do things right to please the Lord. Ephesians 6:6 “not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart…”
If they continue to question, your job is to train them in the way they should go. I often tell my children when the Lord gives me a command, my job isn’t to question him, but to obey. He doesn’t explain everything to me, so I’m training you, the way he trains me.
It’s always God’s will for us to do things to the best of our ability. Training doesn’t happen over night. In later years, you will see results if you consistently remind them to work with diligence.
Recently, I witnessed a grocery bagger carelessly doing his job. I was speechless watching him. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The line of people behind me noticed, all waiting to be his next victim. Expensive groceries – tossed and smashed, like his only job was to hurry up. He had it wrong.
Not everyone cares about working diligently – we can do nothing about this. Your job is to work diligently, and hopefully it’s contagious.
In my family, we use examples like the grocery bagger to help our children. There are plenty of examples in society to help us. We witness good and bad workers. Point this out, especially when someone does their job correctly and carefully. They’ll notice the bad ones without words from us. But the good ones, be sure to speak of it. Even better, let them hear you thank someone for being diligent at their job.
With that said: when you make a bed, smooth the sheets; when you clean a sink, make it shine; when you wash dishes, put them away dry and nicely arranged – and don’t forget to leave the counter sparkling for the next person. When you put away towels, make sure each bathroom has a clean one. If you ever bag groceries, pretend they are your own.
AND:
Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule. What are your hands like?
Striving for diligence,
Theresa