Thoughts on Diligence

I had my 3-month reassessment at the gym yesterday. 6 pounds, 2% body fat; and improvements all around. Biggest gains in pushups and crunches--went from "well below average" (12) to "average" (30) in push-ups, and from barely average (30 in 60 sec.) to "above average" (49) in crunches. Yay for newfound muscular endurance. But the biggest changes have been in my attitude--I'm now able to think of exercise as a healthy and occasionally fun activity rather than as a threat. I also have found it transferring to my non-exercise times. I'm more likely to "just do" something instead of sitting there feeling lazy. Score one for diligence.

Diligence is so important. It's tied for me to consistency in disciplining, training, and follow-through with the kids instead of just letting things slide and not making the most of many opportunities; appropriate and competent preparation for teaching Bible study instead of mediocre and half-hearted preparation; reasonable housekeeping given my lack of other employment; useful and thoughtful personal Bible study times; and fidelity in prayer and also in intercession for others. Without diligence, I find myself being a procrastinating guilt-ridden slacker masquerading as competent servant (of my family, of others, of the Lord). Don't want to be that. I know, I know, I shouldn't be too hard on myself...I do lots of things sorta competently. I'm not having a pity party here. I'm just talking about what it's really like in my heart...where it counts.

I had been moaning to myself lately about what seemed to me to be a lack of my own secret personal spiritual life with God--that during the kids' waking hours I struggled to find time to be alone with God...just to think straight and try to form a coherent prayer in my mind! But I got a Proverbs 31 Woman devotional in my inbox the other day that really challenged and encouraged me. The author basically said she had been having the same trouble until the Lord challenged her just to be with Him in the crowd and noise rather than worry about being alone too much right now. To learn how to pray or otherwise enjoy Jesus on a personal level in the company of the tots because...I'm always in their company! So I think that's good and worth pursuing, though I did manage to get up with the alarm early this morning before everyone else to catch a brief quiet time. It was nice.