Years ago when I was planning to move into our townhouse my aunt, who is also an interior designer, told me to go through design magazines and rip out pictures that had something I liked. One photo showed a living room and she would ask me questions about what drew me to that, did I like the feeling the room gave me, the furniture, the color of the walls… In the end I had a folder full of images of various rooms with notes scribbled on them. Even though I thought I was attempting to show my aunt what I had in mind, the pictures had an even higher purpose for me. What I was doing was essentially visualizing my dream environment. I was mentally walking through my dream house and noticing all the details. Of course, everything comes with a price so I ended up with only some of the things from my dream folder, but the exercise was not lost. Visualization is a powerful tool. It takes our dreams and makes them seem attainable, even if they are far off in the distance. A diligent person in the midst of an overhaul has to be able to visualize the elements of their new life. If you or someone in your life is at such a cross roads, try the idea of ripping pages from magazines and making a dream collage (or folder if you aren’t crafty, like me). Illustrating our prayers with pictures is a beautiful exercise. And it’s helpful later, as a gratitude touchstone when we are living the lives we only imagined.

When we are able to envision the life we desire, we are better equipped to align our choices with the big picture. When certain people or perspectives don’t match, or if they take us off track, we know when to say no or goodbye. Diligence means active choice, not a "choice" that is really the result of default or indecision.

A diligent person understands the implications of seemingly small choices, because these choices comprise the character of what inhabits life. Things like honesty, integrity, transparency, faithfulness and courage are not lofty sentiments reserved for special people. These are traits that God wants us to display to all of creation as a way of glorifying God. These traits are not bestowed; they are inhabited degree by degree, as the vector of our existence leads us home into the Promised Land.

Be diligent, then, in the small choices that make up the fullness of who you are. Like the application of sunscreen, which, applied diligently over time, protects us and preserves us, so do all the small decisions we make every day.

Deacon Leslie Mazzacano

Diligence illustration from "work in progress"