Codes for Christian Living

Give a Genuine Pat on the Back

After him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
—NEHEMIAH 3:20

Nehemiah took careful note of what the workers were doing along the wall. Then, in the verses following, we find him going up and down the wall patting his fellow workers on the back with a word of affirmation.

There is a recurring phrase woven through the verses of Nehemiah 3. Over and over again, he recognized certain individuals who “repaired another section” (Nehemiah 3:11, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30). He took note not only of who the people were and where they worked, but also what they actually accomplished. And then he wrote it down so that history would remember those who went the second mile. In so doing, Nehemiah developed a tremendous amount of loyalty among his people and built an all-for-one and one-for-all team spirit within them. When it came to delegation, Nehemiah knew the importance of affirmation. He understood that a simple pat on the back was no simple thing.

Nehemiah was not one who was given to playing favorites. Some had bigger, more complex tasks than others. However, he complimented each person on the accomplishment of his or her specific assigned tasks. For example, we read in verse 13 of a group of men and women who worked together to rebuild fifteen hundred feet of broken-down wall. Think about that. It was the length of five football fields. And right next to them, there was a lone individual hard at work on the Refuse Gate who single-handedly repaired it on his own (3:14). Interestingly, Nehemiah singled out a man by the name of Baruch (3:20). He noted that Baruch “carefully” repaired his assigned section of the wall. In my mind’s eye, I can see Nehemiah stopping by his side as he moved along the wall, kneeling down and saying, “Great job! Thank you so much.” He made note of this man, Baruch, and here we are twenty-five hundred years later talking about him and the example he sets for us today!

Nehemiah was building a spirit of conquest within his team. There is no greater motivation for those to whom a task is delegated than to hear a word of genuine appreciation, affirmation, and encouragement from their leader.

Content drawn from The Nehemiah Code: It's Never Too Late for a New Beginning.