Listen,
All you who are pouring your lives into something meaningful.
Things wouldn’t be so hard if you weren’t fighting for something real. Something that matters. Apathy is not for you. You are doing hard things because they are right. Because they are important.
Along the way of doing what’s really worthwhile in life, all kinds of disparaging thoughts and criticisms can plague your courage or challenge your momentum…
Don’t listen to them.
Nehemiah led his people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem as his enemies laughed, saying, “What do those screw-ups think they are doing? This thing they’re trying to do is ridiculous! It’s way too big for them. (Neh. 4:2) “There’s no way it will last.” (Neh. 4:3).
Don’t listen to them.
Often while you are doing the most important things in your life you hear those same taunts. “Who do you think you are? You can’t do this thing you’re trying to do. It’s much too big for you. You are way too small and feeble to do any good. All you’re doing? It won’t last. It won’t make a difference.”
Don’t listen to them.
Sometimes the enemy can see what we can’t. He sees that those small beginnings, those simple steps, those hidden starts are changing the atmosphere, breathing life into what was dead, carrying resurrection power into the world we touch.
And it scares him. You scare him. His only weapon is to intimidate. To despise and minimize what matters in your life with taunts and barbs designed to suck the life, the heart, right out of you.
Don’t listen to them.
He wants to slow you down. To tire you out. Discourage you. But what you are doing for the Kingdom? It is powerful.
Where you are raising your babies with love and time? Supernatural as well as natural life is springing up.
Where you are caring for an aging parent with patience and kindness? Honor is taking root in your family line.
Where you are feeding the hungry with compassion? Giving a helping hand to the needy with generosity? Hope is blossoming where despair tried to reign.
Where you are teaching, training, investing in people, young and old, with hope? Dreams are being imbedded inside lives that will change the course of history.
You can’t always see those things with natural eyes, so look with supernatural eyes. What you are doing is making a difference.
As the laughter and threats came rolling in, Nehemiah had his builders continue about this work of building something important, but this time with swords at their sides.
So the next time those discouraging thoughts push their way in,
Don’t listen to them.
Hold up truth as your sword instead.
What you are doing… those small, hidden little contributions?
They are building hope and goodness in the world around you. They are building the grace-filled kingdom of God, rippling well into the future.
“Don’t be afraid of [discouragement]. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome.” (Neh. 4:14). And “work with all [your] hearts.” (Neh. 4:6).
That’s how you win this kind of battle. Remember who your God is. God is Builder. And He’s building your life.
Period.
No matter how it looks. No matter how it feels.
If you are giving it to Him, He is doing something great with it.
I know. I’m on that wall. Typing through a sea of tears. This year the enemy has spoken every single one of those critical words over me. Many times. This year I have struggled with absolute, utter worthlessness. But tonight I surrender everything. EVERY LAST THING. And say, enemy I see what you are doing. But I’m going to stand in obedience and faith. Even if I have to stand through tears.
“When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.” (Neh. 4:15).
Back to work friends. Shake your head at discouragement and fear.
Leave a Reply