Be diligent with patience!

     Over the last three years I have worked towards a goal in my life. I have never worked towards anything that long, other than being an honorable child to God and a good wife and mother. The goal is to be healthy and to have a healthy BMI by the time I am 50. I have stayed on course for the most part but I am not totally where I want to be and what seemed to be a long ways off, is now four months away. This journey has taught me diligence and patience like nothing else in my life. I have had times of crying, times of temper tantrums, times of bargaining with God, times of frustrations, times of laziness, times of being lackadaisical with eating, and times of being obsessively strict, but through it all, I have persevered and I actually feel proud of myself. I am so thankful for the strength and teaching the Lord has given me through this. Since the main two things I have learned are patience and diligence , let’s look at their definitions!

• Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties.
• Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work, exemplified by a decisive work ethic, budgeting of one's time, monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness, and putting forth full concentration in one's work

     Well, after reading those definitions, let me clarify. I have learned those things in only in my physical life. However, I fall short of those virtues in other areas. Now I need to be diligent to incorporate my growth into the other parts of my life and do so with great patience.

     How do you measure up with these two virtues? Do you act in a positive way or a negative way while you are in times of waiting! Think of the last three things you have said you wanted to do; what are you doing everyday to achieve those goals? Let’s work together to grow our patience and diligence and become virtuous children of God!

 The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work.

Proverbs 12:24