Character Building – Persistence and Diligence
For most of us, absolutely nothing comes easy. As we watch the Olympic athletes at this year’s
Winter games, it is fascinating to hear the back story about the price these
young people have paid to be top in their sport. One skier talked about wishing she could let
up, take a nap or watch a movie instead of practicing and practicing. But her coach advised her that would not get
her where she wanted to go. She had to
dig in and keep working.
Parents often find themselves in those coaching struggles
with their children. Kids may want to
sluff through on chores. You have to
make them come back and do them over.
(And over, sometimes!) You may
have to be the “bad cop” when it comes to practicing the musical instrument they
convinced you they wanted to learn to play.
Persistence and diligence are required if they want to get beyond those
early basic songs and drills.
For one of our children, academic things came pretty easy –
until he got to about 5th grade when things took that cognitive jump. He was upset that he was actually going to
have to work at his schoolwork. He would have to think, and struggle, and strive
to learn. Of course, I could have softened
things, made them easier, dumbed them down.
Moms are often tempted to easy our kids’ load, to make things fun, but
that would not have served him well in the long run. His mind was made for higher things and
greater challenges. So, in spite of his
objections, he had to press through.
What does scripture say about diligence?
He
becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent
makes rich. (Pr. 10:4 Amp. Classic)
The
hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
(Pr. 12:24 Amp. Classic)
Whatever
may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for
the Lord and not for men. (Col. 3:23 Amp. Classic)
Paul talked about pressing in when things were difficult. (Phil. 3:12-1
It is important to help kids learn to do hard things. Teens who have not had to do chores, who have
not learned to manage money, who have not had to pay for any car insurance or
expenses will have a rude awakening when they leave home.
One of our children had learning disabilities. Learning to read was difficult. Thankfully, a friend who was an education
expert encouraged me to be even more thorough with teaching her the phonics
foundations as she learned to read. In
time she became a great reader, though not fast. She read with great understanding and recall. She reads classics for fun now. Throughout her difficult school years, she
fought and trudged through. Now she knows
she can do anything. She can learn
anything. She is an accomplished young
woman with a great job because of her persistence and diligence.
Help your children set goals to accomplish hard things, whether
it is becoming an Eagle Scout, learning to play and instrument, taking a college
class during high school, or building a model of a historic building. Help them see the steps it will take. Break giant tasks into bite-sized pieces. Help them hang in there instead of giving up
when it becomes difficult. Then
celebrate the reward they receive for their persistence and diligence.
For more
parenting help go to www.IntentionalParenting.us or consider my book, Intentional
Parenting: A Guide for Christian Parents. There is also a Small Group
guide with discussion questions for couples or groups.
No comments:
Post a Comment