Daily Mood Quotes
Day 178 - October 29, 2011
Diligence
Dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labor with diligence.
~Bill Hybels
The one thing the events of the past month have taught me is that it is so easy to let yourself slip back into old bad habits and how easily we can develop new bad habits, when under stress. The death of my mother-in-law has spawned a flurry of old feelings and along with them some habits (those best left behind) for both myself and my husband. For me it's the insecurities that reappeared when I realized my in-laws are supremely diligent about carrying grudges and old emotional baggage. They made my life a living hell when we were all living in the same town. They seem still bent on that objective. So, we left. It did however reintroduce a bit of self-doubt that has had me off my game for a while. For my husband, a man who had put aside an uninspired and common youth and aspired to higher academic and artistic goals, the shock and hurt of their vile dispositions almost drew him back into old and discarded behaviors. Neither the children nor I, had ever heard him curse that much, ever. By his own admission, it hasn’t been his finest moment.
Well, what exactly does that have to do with diligence? Simple. We both have worked far too hard to put aside our bad habits and aspire to better. Through adversity and some success we have together defined and forged better attitudes, more open viewpoints and more honesty in our lives and that of our children. It hasn't been easy, it took determination and diligence; especially when things weren't going so well. Those old nasty habits are always hanging like ghosts, just out of view, ready to swoop in take root and grow anew when our guards are down.
It takes diligence to continue to press forward toward better when the past, its pains and its baggage is hanging around in the back of our minds. Or, when it is suddenly thrust forward into our lives as has happened to me and my husband this month. Often we become sort of “stuck” in old cycles that prevent us from taking steps forward that we know are beneficial, but somehow we just can't seem to do. That's the ghost of the past that interferes to prevent our forward progress. It takes “considerable snake eyed concentration” as stated by Jack Crabb (played by Dustin Hoffman), in the movie Little Big Man, to get back on track after a major life disruption or disappointment. That's where diligence comes in. Pick up the broken pieces of our expectations, accept the lesson and begin again to move forward. In the wounds and scars of hard experience, we find the strength of resolve required to diligently and honestly assess our position, refine our goals and press on.
Much like a quarterback who has been sacked (okay, I really do love football), in “snake eyed concentration” and focus on the next play, is the touchdown...
How will you face the future “diligently” today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quotes
Thank you for reading.
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