Most days I start with a big question mark. What will today hold? Will I need to proceed with caution because there are monsters afoot plotting my demise? Or will today be filled with adventure of the safe kind, punctuated by daises and sunshine? There’s really no definite way to know.
Take last Sunday for example. My husband works out of town and he booked me a flight to come stay with him for the week. Seemed like a fun little adventure, or so I thought. Two flights later, I switched my phone back on and a text was waiting for me that he had blown the motor in his truck and I needed to rent a car to pick him up.
Ok, don’t overreact Shana, like you always do. I kept trying to calm myself down and not imagine the worst possible scenario. But unfortunately, the worst scenario was the reality. We felt our only option was to purchase a brand new vehicle, fix the old truck to sell, and dish out a ton of money doing it.
So we made it through that little situation only to encounter ANOTHER one. While still on the same trip, I had to file a claim for a new roof because we’ve had terrible storms rip through our city. I thought they were going to tell me I had to pay a $1k deductible, which I thought was no big deal. Um no…..the deductible is huge and I wanted to cry when they told me.
But instead I prayed. I released my faith so that God can go to work with His solution. The truth is He has already gone before us with the answer. I prayed, thanked Him for all of the things He has already done and for His provision for what’s coming our way.
Then I cracked open my Bible to Nehemiah. I read about the constant opposition and discouragement that the Israelites faced when rebuilding the wall. Their enemies tried everything from threats, intimidation and force to make them stop. They even hired “prophets” to discourage the work. They had to work with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. It was never easy!
In some way, I felt like the Lord was telling me not to give up! You see, we are on the difficult journey of paying off our debt. Our goal is to be debt free in five years. We are spiritually re-building the wall in our lives and attempting to do things God’s way. We feel strongly that we need to do this so we can move into the next phase of what God has for us.
It’s hard sometimes. We get discouraged. I feel like I am simultaneously building something and fighting at the same time. Fighting to continue the work God has given us in this season. Fighting to stay connected to Him. Fighting discouragement and doubts. Fighting frustration and overwhelming feelings. The enemy constantly tries to intimidate us.
But I know that what we are building is worth the struggle. And that’s true for you as well. Sometimes you have to build and fight at the same time! You have to be skilled with both a sword and a trowel. But the beautiful part is God will help you. You will succeed.
Yes God could make this easy on you and remove the challenges but you wouldn’t grow. Your character wouldn’t be conformed. And in the end, God is more concerned about your growth than your comfort.
I’ll leave you with this scripture today:
So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.
Nehemiah 6:15-16 NLT
Swords and Trowels: Why You Must Fight and Build at the Same Time
