Unhurried Diligence

 

Lately The Lord has really been working on my heart in the area of “unhurried diligence”. I guess if I were to pick a phrase of the year for 2026, this would be it. Let me explain. :)

Very often in my motherhood, I find myself rushing myself and my children, for absolutely no good reason...we don't even need to be on a schedule or be on time to anywhere, and here I am hurrying and rushing along madly, spiking my own cortisol and stressing my kids out in the process. This tendency of mine is shared by many in our day, I believe, as is evidenced by the “slow living” trend that has saturated many social media outlets. However, this isn't just about “romanticizing daily life” or “self care”...it's so much deeper. 

It often weighs on me, this rush and hurry, almost as if it's an oppressor that hovers over my shoulder day after day, yelling, “You aren't doing enough! There's too many things to get done in a day, you can't do it all! You are failing at all of this—being a wife, being a mom, being a church member...you can never be enough for everyone!” And the thing is that all of these things have elements of truth. My heart DOES tend toward laziness, and the desire to waste time on frivolous things. I DO also have physical and mental limitations that dictate what I am actually able to accomplish in any given day. I DO fail and let people in my life down, however desperately I may wish that I never did. And I cannot be enough for everyone, all the time. No one can, except the only One who is all-sufficient. So what do I do? Do I just give up and give in, resigning myself to a life of rush and whirl, and nothing to show for it at the end of the day? Do I throw up my hands in defeat, and resolve to simply “eat, drink, and be merry”, enjoying every bit of self care and me-time that I can possibly manage to cram into every day? What is the answer here? Why does slowing down feel so impossible sometimes, especially when I don't even participate in social media?? Isn't that the main culprit? Apparently not, because here I am, battling just as hard to slow down as many people I know who are hopelessly addicted to TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

I was feeling convicted about this one day, and that very morning in my Bible reading, I came across the verse, “Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.” (Proverbs 19:2) Ok, Lord...I'm listening! :) Then, He brought me to Proverbs 21:5, “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; But of every one that is hasty only to want.”

Wait...that verse makes it sound as if diligence and hurry are antonyms? I always thought that diligence meant working swiftly...? So, of course, I went to Webster's 1828 for the definition. ;)

"Diligence: Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity."

In this definition, there is almost no mention of speed at all, rather, of steady application of oneself to the tasks set before them. The more I have pondered on this problem over the last few months, the more the Lord has impressed upon my heart that it boils down, at its very root, to the issue of faith in God. (Don't so many things??) 

The real question is not “Am I doing enough for my kids?” but rather “Do I trust God to use my faithful, steadfast efforts in my children's lives, for their good and His glory?” The real question is not, “How on earth am I going to accomplish everything on my huge to-do list for today?” but rather, “How can I fulfill the will of The Lord today in my home? What do I need to prioritize and labor diligently (steadily, faithfully) at, and what can I let go of gracefully at the end of the day, trusting that all results of my labor are ultimately up to God?” 

This perspective shift has been slowly working its way into my heart and actions lately. Not all day every day, unfortunately, but more and more often, by God's grace. Sanctification takes time, and I'm trying to apply the light that He has given me, trusting Him to continue His good work in me until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) 

With this in mind, I commissioned a sweet friend of mine to make me a set of bracelets: one says “diligent” and one says “unhurried”. I've been putting them on at the beginning of each day of full-time mothering, as a reminder of this truth that God has been working into me lately. 

Everything that I do is to be done “as unto the Lord”. My obedience should not depend on seeing obvious results of my labor, but rather on faith that I am following God's will for my day to day life, whether I see results or not. In closing, I want to share a quote I found that has encouraged me as I work on “unhurried diligence”.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you sow.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” ~Galatians 6:9

May I diligently and faithfully sow seeds of goodness, joy, hope, and peace throughout the soil of the lives around me, and trust God to give the increase in HIS time!

~Mykaela