Diligence is quite a word.

To continue working at something whether or not
it is fun, whether or not you feel that you are
accomplishing anything, but just because you
know you should is a hard concept to teach to
your children.

Yesterday I was talking with some young people,
friends of my boys, and they were telling me that
they never study. "School" comes easy to them and
they don't need to. This is not a discussion on
government schools but on student attitudes. I have
been ruminating on this through the night. It was
on my mind at 3:00 am, 4:00 am and even 5:30 am,
which is when I dragged out of my cozy nest for the
day.

I wish I'd been quicker on my feet. Those boys are going
to come up against things in life, eventually, where, if
they don't know how to study, or can't study, they
will either walk away without any attempt to under-
stand, or will quickly make up their mind with no true
understanding of the matter at all. I wish I'd made
just some small comment to this effect.

It would be awkward to go back to those teens now--
but what I will do is hit my own boys up again with
2 Timothy 15.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.

One cannot be diligent with the word if one does not
study. Fly-by-night does not cut it in the Christian
realm. Sure, if needed, I can fill in at the last minute
for any children's Sunday school class going, but it is
only because of the past years of study and struggle.

God is the giver of wisdom, but may He grant my
children the diligence to pursue that wisdom.