MTP21 Dedication to the Diligent

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)

One of my favourite stories I heard as a child was that of the hare and the tortoise.  First of all what a name for an animal – tortoise.  What was Adam English* thinking when he came up with that?  Not that it’s wrong or bizarre, but it is a delicious word.  Say it ‘tortoise’.  Back in the day I used to pronounce is tor-tus and then I would pronounce tor-toyze.  The latter is better because you cannot rush saying that, whereas with the first you can say it quickly which goes against the point of the animal it describes.

So we have this animal known for the shell and everything who’s known for taking his time doing things, but gets there eventually.  In a move that shocks and horrifies the animal kingdom he accepts a challenge for a distance race with the hare, who as we know is famous for his speed.  At the outset of the race the hare streaks into a substantial from the ever plodding tortoise.  Such is the lead that is made that the hare takes a nap.  Meanwhile the tortoise just diligently keeps going at a steady pace and whilst the hare snores on, the tortoise to the even greater surprise of the animal kingdom – and the betting public I can imagine – plods on to the finish line.  He wins the race with the hare getting up too late to stop the biggest upset in sporting history since Southampton beat Manchester United for the FA Cup in 1976.  (Yeah I know about the chronological problems, but I get a dig at United and that’s not a bad thing!)

Moral of the story – slow and steady wins the race.  Or as the writer of Proverbs so excellent puts it you’re bound to get loads if you’re diligent rather than rush things along and end up with nothing.

I tell the story for two reasons.  The first is the gist of the post and the wisdom received from this proverb, which I’ll go into shortly.  The second is that I love the whole thing about taking your time and getting there in the end – life is a marathon (no, the race not the chocolate nutty bar now horrendously known after a way of laughing).  Life is not a sprint, no prizes for finishing first.  It’s particularly appropriate because I recall a family incident where me wife and some of the children wanted to walk quickly to get home whilst we were walking back from somewhere.  Whilst they sped along as fast as their legs could take them, I just cruised along.  As it happened I strolled into the house only to find no one else there.  And as I relaxed in came the harried and hurried wife with the children – as it happened their haste had got them held up with people and issues that I was able to avoid because of the diligent progress I made in getting to my destination.  Ever since then whenever I’m seen strolling along by my wife I’m reminded of how slow and steady win the race.  Ahhh family anecdotes, eh?

Yet being diligent is not about necessarily being slow or like the beloved tortoise in just plodding on.  It has been a pleasure witness diligence in action.  Not happy to accept the way things appear there’s a chipping away at things, thoroughly going about what is set to come up with something that is deemed satisfactory because of the great effort that’s gone into it.

I remember when I used to knock about with my old mentor Hughie and we did newsletters and press releases.  Now in as much as Hughie wasn’t a genius in all areas, when it came to the area of his expertise, when he’s in his element he can take his time and see things that others would ignore.  That was definitely the case in the writing things we did.  I was witness to the successes he had in the area and all because diligence was his watch-word.  In as much as it looked like he had a lot on his plate, he was diligent and he wasn’t the only one blessed because he got so much that those who knocked about with him got some of the good stuff, such is the nature of abundance.

And Hughie is just one of a number of people that it’s been my delight to see prosper in this manner. This is because the wisdom of God causes these people to not rush things or get harried, hustled and hurried and end up in that tragic Bullseye position of wondering what we could have won.

Along with patience, faithfulness, consistency, vigilance, compassion and purity, diligence is one of those qualities I’ve found most desirable in others.  I recognise my tendency to act in haste and regret at leisure as they say.  I love the fruit of diligence and can see benefits and light moments in the process of acting it out.  So here the encouragement is right there to have plans and that if it’s done diligently, taking the time to piece it together in the light of the leading of the Lord then I’m not the only winner.

*Adam English.  I hope you haven’t gone to the effort of searching through Google to see what connection Adam English has with tortoise.  I use the name as a generic term of reference combining two facts.  First Adam in the bible named the animals, but of course he didn’t speak English.  (Yes, not even King James English, I know that’s a shocker, but it is true.)  So whatever the name for tortoise was as translated in various languages someone had to get it into English.  So there is no such person as Adam English in that sense.  I’m sure there is such a man as Adam English, indeed many men may have had that name, but it is unlikely that they would have come up with that crucial translation.  Unlikely but not altogther impossible, so if it happens to be the case – Happy Days!

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd