Diligent

Know the state of our flocks,

and put your heart into caring for your herds,

for riches don't last forever. . .

Your sheep will provide the price of a field.

And you will have enough goats' milk for yourself,

your family, and your servant girls.

-Proverbs 27:23-24, 26-27

Down on the farm they say, "Take care of your sheep, your sheep will take care of you." Although most of us not longer live on farms, there are some important principles we could learn from farm life. I spent many summers with my grandparents on the farm. I remember so clearly how diligent my grandfather was. No one had to force him to get up at 5 a.m. to milk the cows and feed them and mend the fences. He noticed if one of his cows was injured. He knew if one was missing. Throughout his life he had few luxuries, but I remember homegrown, home-cooked food was the best in the world. Grandfather loved his garden, his animals, and his work. Life was simple but life was good.

Ecclesiastes 10:15 says, "A fools' work wearies him" (NIV). Ladies, it is foolish to be resentful of the work set before us, whether it's tending the sheep , or going grocery shopping, or cooking dinner. Find joy in picking out the freshest tomatoes. Find joy in fixing a delicious sandwich for your husband.

In the end, the writer of Ecclesiastes said,"It is good and proper for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his. . . labor. .  (To) be happy in his work - this is a gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, NIV).

Live it Out!
Diligence is a reward in itself. For a woman, her home can be a reflecioin of her inner world and attitudes. Whether you live in a one-room apartment or a spacious house in the suburbs, your home is your greatest realm of influence. Attend to it. I seldom go to bed until the kitchen is clean and decluttered. Since the living room is the first room you see as you come in the front door, make it warm and welcoming. Don't complain about what you don't have and can't do. Be a good steward of what God has given you, and be thankful in the little things.

-The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional; by Debbi Bryson; November 17; p. 336

It is so easy to grumble about daily chores. Instead, we should be thankful we have a home to clean, food to eat and family to care for daily. And yes, be content with what God has given us and don't pine for what other's have. Attitude is everything!