August 13

Aug 13 - Today from Proverbs 13 we look at verse 4
"The sluggard craves and gets nothing, the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."

Diligence is a virtue. All of the truly great men and women of history are marked by their diligence. They understood that the real accomplishments of life are not won in the human pool of lottery, but are carved out of the bedrock of humanity.
The Hebrew language is supported by imagery. The base meaning of the word for diligent gives one the image of a sharp instrument, such as might be used for mining gold or threshing grain. It denotes incisiveness. The modern English defines diligent as 'done with persevering, painstaking effort and care.' Diligence combines determination, patience, perseverance and excellence. Diligence is a virtue.
God has 'hardwired' every human being. They are born with natural specialized gifts and abilities. It is referred to as the bent of a person. Some people love numbers and calculations. They excel in positions such as accounting and engineering. Others have trouble balancing their personal checkbook. On the other hand, some people are very sensitive and gifted in creative arts. They can make beautiful masterpieces as their hands nimbly form the creative imagery that flows from their soul. God created man with incredible diversity, and He created man to serve his fellow man by discovering, developing and applying his own special abilities.
Sluggardness and diligence are not a part of God's hardwire job. They fall more into the category of attitude. Man has been given a choice here. Diligence begins with the understanding that things worth achieving are worth our best efforts. Success takes time, training, persevering, working through failures, learning from mistakes, going further, going deeper, sifting through the worthless, and the proverbial blood, sweat and tears. None of it is wasted. All of it builds character. There is joy, fulfillment, and a deep satisfaction in diligently serving in your area of giftedness - even through the learning and developmental years. It's an attitude, and it begins with the end in view and persevering through whatever stands in the way with patience and a teachable spirit.
Sluggardness begins with the attitude that 'the world owes me something.' Even sluggards have special gifts and abilities, but they somehow believe that they deserve instant reward for their ability. They are ‘misunderstood, taken advantage of, dealt with unfairly, and distracted at every hurdle’ (sic). They have little or no patience when the things they crave are in view. Perseverance isn't even in their vocabulary. They are quick to share with the world how unfair life is.
Give a diligent person and a sluggard a prized goal, give them both the same ability, stand them at the starting line, and drop the flag. You will soon see the only difference in their lives is attitude. One will encounter every obstacle and hurdle, learn from the experience, and continue down the track. The other will look for shortcuts and detours and become distracted in the process. One will eventually own the goal and feel the satisfaction of getting there, the other will be left with nothing but excuses, frustrations, and regrets. Diligence requires a sharp instrument. One understands that the gold is buried amongst tons of common dirt. The other fully expects that the gold is lying on the surface, just around the next bend. One understands that the rich grain is intimately connected to the chaff and must be threshed out. The other believes that rich grain comes neatly sacked up. The Hebrew language is beautiful imagery - is it not?