Codes for Christian Living
Rebuilders Get Started Right
When we are in the process of rebuilding (no matterwhat it is we are seeking to rebuild), there are not justthings that need to be done, but things that need to beundone as well. There are habits that need to be broken andsometimes hearts that need to be healed. Anyone who has ever sought to rebuild a marriage, a business, a dream, or a church knows this to be true. It often is simply easier to walk away and start over than it is to invest the effort and energy needed for rebuilding. If we are ever going to be successful in rebuilding, it is essential that we get started right.
For some, simply getting started—much less getting started right—is the hardest part of the entire rebuilding process. Fortunately for us, Nehemiah was an expert on getting started right. For decades, the Jews had seen the need to rebuild the broken wall and burned gates of Jerusalem. Some had even given it a try, then faltered and failed because of the sheer volume of the task. Nehemiah, however, came on the scene and accomplished this awesome task in less than two months. And a huge factor in his success was in the way he got started. In the first chapter of the Bible book bearing his name, Nehemiah’s example outlines for us four steps to getting started in our own rebuilding process. Rebuilders get started right by:
1. making an honest evaluation,
2. identifying with the need,
3. taking personal responsibility, and
4. moving out of their comfort zones.
These principles work no matter what we are seeking to rebuild in life. Consider it this way: Have you ever needed to lose some weight? I have. Have you ever needed to start an exercise program? I have. Have you ever needed to rebuild a broken relationship that is lying dormant? I have. And we both know that the hardest part of any of those challenges is just getting started. Nehemiah devoted the first chapter of his book to getting started with the rebuilding task. The rest of his book then relates to the unfolding principles that, when applied, will enable us to accomplish our own personal rebuilding tasks.
Content drawn from The Nehemiah Code: It's Never Too Late for a New Beginning.