DILIGENCE

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all.

Gal. 6:9–10 (MSG)

Diligence begins with commitment, trods along faithfully each step of the way, and finishes well.

Submit your personal story or favorite illustration, quote, Bible verse, etc. that illustrates a specific virtue to [email protected], then click on the virtue of your choice on the Virtues page to see your story or the stories and illustrations of others.

July 14, 2021

I must say, writing “Little Book of Virtues” and assembling this website accompaniment…has required diligence. Something I am not very good at! I occasionally, not often, but sometimes, come up with what I think is a great idea. There have been other book projects, an idea for a movie, inventions, businesses and more…that I never followed through with. This book and website took hours, and much back and forth with my editor friends Kurt and Wendy (and wife Julee), as well as with Lucid Publishing. And with myself! I would still make changes if I could. I credit the pandemic for helping me finish this project…That something beautiful (to me) could come out of something so horrible, gives me hope for the future for all of us.

The relatively few times I have been diligent in my life have always produced something good. When I went away to university, I was well aware of the statistic: More than half of all incoming freshmen would fail to graduate. Many would never even see a sophomore year. So, for maybe the first time in my life, I set my mind to be diligent. I locked myself in the library and studied for hours. I said no to dorm card parties and other social events. And lo and behold, I finished my first semester (a heavy load and two science lab classes) with a 3.84 gpa! I graduated cum laude! And I knew that I could be diligent…if I really wanted to and set my heart and mind to do so. Great works of art, almost any great thing really, takes diligence, perseverance, hard work. It’s so satisfying though, when you see the fruit of your diligence.