“Then the people of Judah said, ‘The work crews are worn out, and there is too much rubble. We can’t continue to rebuild the wall.’” (Neh. 4:10)
We're all familiar with what the verse in Nehemiah states above. We start out on a journey, only to get discouraged, falter and quit. We’re human beings, and we wear out. We get frustrated, feel like we have failed. Goals go by the wayside, work gets left undone...complacency sets in and we begin to settle for the second best.
A number of things contribute to these attitudes and the experiences are recorded in a number of instances throughout the scripture. One hint comes in the text quoted above. Rubble. Things in life that cause us to get into the monotony of having to deal with minutiae. As a result, things pile up and up to the point it seems insurmountable. Do you have rubble in your life? Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the trash starts piling up? That's part of the trouble. If you don’t clean it out periodically, it’s going to stop your progress. There are things that we simply can’t avoid and need to learn to recognize it and dispose of it quickly so we don’t lose focus on our original intention.
Thinking we have failed is virtually as bad as actual failure itself. Nehemiah’s people were unable to finish their task as quickly as originally planned and, as a result, their confidence collapsed. They were thinking now not in terms of success, but failure. "Might as well give up," becomes an echoed sentiment. Self pity sets in and "woe is me" causes any forward progress to stop. Finally, when you give in to fear, you get discouraged. Nehemiah 4 suggests the people most affected by fear are those who hang around other negative people. Do you give in to self-pity? Do you start blaming other people? Do you start complaining that it’s impossible? Or, do you refocus on God’s intentions and start moving again?
If you’re going to control the negative thoughts in your life, you’ve got to get away from negative people as much as you can. You might even be discouraged because of fears, telling yourself, “I can’t handle this. It’s too much responsibility.” Maybe it’s the fear that you don’t deserve it or the fear of criticism. Fear will destroy your life if you let it.
But you can choose to resist the discouragement. Say, “God, help me get my eyes off the problem and the circumstance and keep my eyes on you.” This is what Nehemiah tells the people in Chapter 4. Break the problem down into manageable bits and understand that the problem is not all of the bits, but what comes if I don't manage them.
"Don't fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us. That should make you feel like saying, "The Lord helps me! Why should I be afraid of what people can do to me?" (Heb.13:5,6)
Rubble is the trivial things that waste your time and energy and prevent you from accomplishing what God has called you to do. What is the rubble in your life? Are you asking God to help you handle it? Are you seeking to reduce negativity in your life that is keeping you discouraged? Consider the admonitions of 1 Cor.15:33 that evil friends can destroy you. Consider the admonitions of Heb.10:25 to not abandon coming together in God's house with people that will encourage you.
What goal(s) do you need to refocus so that you can accomplish something God has called you to do today?
Jim
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