Diligence hindrances
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:29
Excel is "Mahir" in Hebrew and means "diligent, skilled, prompt, and ready.” According to the proverb, someone who is diligent and skilled may gain access to influential people. It does not matter if we wish to stand before those prominent people or if our skills will secure our earthly rewards, the bible commands us not to be lazy and to be diligent.
Diligence entails the expenditure of energy to accomplish a task skillfully resulting in a positive outcome. It requires discipline and painstaking effort, which are somewhat contrary to our fleshly nature. We tend to make soft choices when we are avoiding pain, and being skilled at work requires a great deal of focus that is painful. According to Cal Newport, author of the best-selling book "Deep work," "focus is a superpower in an age of distraction." Smartphones have robbed us of the alluring dopamine rush we get from checking social media, and the constant notifications on our phones cause us to do shallow work, such as replying to group messages at all times, which disrupts our time management and distracts us from doing deep work.
Lack of focus is not the only obstacle to diligence; I also believe that comfort and lack of zeal are major obstacles. Clearly, sloth is the opposite of diligence and a trait that can also be defined as apathy and a love of comfort.
A person can be busy and slothful at the same time, like having a full schedule and getting things done so they can return to their lives of comfort. Since sloth is characterized by "apathy", it can be relational, work or spiritual apathy, the apathy will give us excuses for not doing more. The person knows he needs to show love to others, yet he prioritizes leisure and recreation over relationships. Spiritual apathy occurs when someone knows they should spend time with God or attend church, but chooses to engage in other activities instead.
It is slothfulness that is at the root of wasting life—namely, wasting our talents and the opportunity to use them for a positive purpose. A person's slothfulness develops gradually as they do shallow work rather than deep work, make little decisions rather than big ones, maintaining comfort and taking the easy route. “Sleep a little longer,” says Sloth. What's the rush? ”
The Greek word diligence, on the other hand, refers to eagerness, zeal, and has the similar meaning as the Hebrew word Mahir, which denotes responsibility, quickness, and excellence. Contrary to a sloth and apathetic person, a diligent individual is always excited and energetic. They take work and faith seriously, as if they are doing it for the Lord, and as a result, they will perform tasks with excellence and with a fervent spirit serving the Lord.
Blessing prayer: May you keep us from slothfulness and give us zeal for you so that whatever we do, we do it heartily to the Lord's name. In Jesus' name, Amen
