After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: “Don’t be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14 (MSG)
When people feel like their dreams are delayed or they’re making limited progress, they can grow weary. That can tempt them to give up. However, in the book of Nehemiah, we find a great principle to defeat this mindset.
Nehemiah had organized the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem. As the people worked, neighbouring enemy nations tried to discourage them through fear-mongering and threats. But Nehemiah was wise and powerfully countered their efforts. How?
He would remind the Jews of their “why” for working: to restore Jerusalem to a respectable state and provide protection for their families in a fortified city (Nehemiah 2:17).
What’s exhausting you today? Maybe you’ve been trying to build your business, and growth has been slow and tedious. Perhaps you’re in the early years of marriage, and it’s not going as easily as you expected. Or maybe you’re in your forties, and the dreams you had in your twenties now feel like they’re never going to happen.
Whenever things aren’t going well, what can encourage and keep you going? A dream of what life will be like; a vision of what you’re going to enjoy after you get through the tough stuff.
Remember your mission. Keep your dream in mind and talk about it daily. Share it with your kids. Have something you’re looking forward to enjoying, and weariness will quickly fall away.