Diligent

 

Saturday afternoon, I came home tired.  We had a work day at church to get ready for our mission conference that starts next week.  My area of responsibility was plumbing.  I replaced the float valve and filler seal in a toilet.  Then I replaced a dripping faucet with a new one.  But the new sixteen-inch supply line on the cold side was just a bit too short, which necessitated another trip to the hardware.  And to install the faucet, I had to lay on my back under the sink inside the cabinet … no small feat for this old man.  But I got ‘er done!  So, now, back to coming home tired.  When I walked in the door I went straight to the refrigerator and took out my half-full bottle of Coke.  But as I unscrewed the cap, I didn’t hold it tightly and I dropped it on the kitchen floor (remember I was tired).  So, I had to bend down to pick up the little red cap.  But as I stood up, the cap fumbled out of my fingers and fell to the floor again.  So again, I had to bend down and pick it up, this time holding a little tighter and concentrating on what I was doing.  Because I was tired and careless, I had to pick up that little bottlecap twice.  What a lesson!  I remember my dad saying, “If you don’t take the time to do a job right the first time, you will have to take the time to do it right the second time.  Doing it right the first time always takes less time than doing it twice.”  Because of my tiredness, I did more work.  Solomon said in Proverbs 13:4, “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”  Hey, the word for the day is diligent.  Attend to details and be diligent, and you’ll have a good day!  Yes, you will!