"Diligence, promptness, and perseverance"

MARGARET A. L. NOWELL

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE teaches us that education is not mere book knowledge, but learning to know the perfect qualities which God has given to each one of His children, and how to develop and exercise them. The school children of today have the joyous opportunity to write on the clean slate of their thinking only those true and enduring ideas which will need no future correction, and which can never be effaced. Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, has made this possible through her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the "key" unlocking the great truths of the Bible.

Diligence, promptness, perseverance, are three very necessary qualities for us to learn to use if we wish to be successful. They may seem rather dull and burdensome unless we have made friends with them and found out that they are really the burden-bearers that make our traveling on the road easy and sure. Listen to what our Leader says of them on page 514 of the textbook: "In the figurative transmission from the divine thought to the human, diligence, promptness, and perseverance are likened to 'the cattle upon a thousand hills.' They carry the baggage of stern resolve, and keep pace with highest purpose." We have all made high resolutions many times, but if we have not learned to place the baggage of our highest purpose on "diligence, promptness, and perseverance," we must often have strayed into the wrong path.

Diligence starts our high resolve on the journey to sucess and bears it on with careful attention to each detail as it comes. Diligence is sure-footed and safe; it never stumbles into the mudholes of carelessness and negligence, which make the way seem burdensome, because they are hard taskmasters. If we give in to them, we must do the same tasks over and over again; and then our high resolve flags and is weary. Diligence is never weary; and when we let it bear the baggage of our highest purpose moment by moment we progress easily and steadily.

Promptness is wide-awake, always ready to grasp each opportunity and act upon it without a moment's delay. Promptness is instant to see good and at once put it into action; quick to encourage every right desire; ready to reject the putting-off-till-tomorrow error, called procrastination. It never says, I have no time, because it always does everything at the proper moment; it is never late or hurried, because promptness always has the needed time.

Perseverance finishes our journey for us; and without it even diligence and promptness will not carry us to the end of the road. Perseverance goes quietly on, never stopping halfway. It cannot be diverted by the false whisperings of error into the dismal bypaths of depression, self-condemnation, and discouragement, which lead into the bog of failure; nor can idleness stop its onward march. Perseverance carries us straight along the road to the goal of joyful success.

Our Leader, who well knew the path, wanted us to learn the comforting support of these three qualities — "diligence, promptness, and perseverance." If we make them our constant companions, we shall advance safely to the demonstration of that dominion "over all the earth" which is God's precious gift to man.

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