The book of Nehemiah tells a beautiful story.
Nehemiah finds out that his hometown sits in ruin. He is distressed enough that it affects his work. He isn't just any day laborer. He serves the King his drinks. And the King sees that he is distressed and finds out what troubles him. After hearing the story the King sends Nehemiah with materials and his blessing to repair the walls of Jerusalem.
As Nehemiah begins to repair the wall the domino effect comes into play. One man repairs his house and the portion of the wall near his house, and then the next man does the same. In time, the entire group of men and their families make repairs until the wall is rebuilt up to half it's former height-an incredible feat!
The crux of the story in my opinion is where the laborers have two utensils, one in each hand. They heard a battle was coming, but they knew they needed to keep repairing the wall.
Nehemiah 4:17 (NKJV) "Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon."
That's a powerful story.
Think about what this story tells us in one simple phrase. It tell us BUILD OUR FUTURE and at the same time PROTECT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
Two stories. Two tools. One goal: improvement.
We've got to become good at both defending and building. Defend against the enemy-self doubt, corruption, greed, lust, envy, hate, and fear. Build for prosperity-health, wealth, happiness, self-satisfaction, abundance, joy, and pleasurable activities.
I think about the people we have on our team and what helps and hurts them the most.
More importantly, as I lead I think about what helps and hinders me.
I need to analyze what is helping and what is hurting me. Like the leader Nehemiah, I've got to be prepared to use both sword and trowel at a moments notice.
What does this look like in real time? How does this play out in real life? I live in the large college town of Athens, GA where two sets of people exist: both the productive student and the slacker. Here are some examples of what we should be watching for:
Negative:
- People who laugh at our ideas
- People who try to take our time with frivolous pursuits
- People who encourage us to have another cookie
- People who ask us to stay up and late and waste time involving a number of activities
- People who criticize
Positive
- People who encourage us to complete the ideas we have
- People who invite us to participate in worth-while and productive activities
- Friends who invite us to exercise or spend time outdoors
- People who tell us that they need to go to bed and that we need to leave and go home so they can get some rest before the next day
- People who inquire
If we had a short blank to the right of each statement I'm sure we can name someone that would fit well. This isn't my point. My aim is to warn you of both. Be aware of both positive and negative influences and like Nehemiah live with both the sword and the trowel in your hands.
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