Rebuilding (and Building, for that matter) Requires Partners

NEHEMIAH TOOK HIS MANTLE- and so did everyone else

I've been reading through Nehemiah and it strikes me how simple the process of rebuilding the walls and gets of Jerusalem is in the account:

1. Nehemiah hears about the destructive state in which Jerusalem has been left.

2. He is heartbroken. He grieves.

3. He seeks guidance.

4. He starts moving.

That's it. He chooses to seek God and move. As the king's cupbearer, he is a servant in high esteem but not in any position to ask for something bold. He does not allow the risk to stop him. His singular assignment was clear, so he takes the steps to move.

Nehemiah's boldness is rewarded. He is allowed, with favor and the covering of the king to begin to reestablish the walls and gates of God's special city brick by brick, stone by stone, log by log. His obedience very quickly starts to move a whole community to form a team- to take accountability for each space that they can manage.

God multiplied Nehemiah's obedience with more hands to move the mission forward because He ordained it.

Something new jumped out at me in this reading. God gave Nehemiah his piece of the vision, and Nehemiah began the work. There were more key players in this rebuild:

• Ezra: This priest/scribe had the assignment and vision for worship and community

• Zerubbabel: He took the mantle of leading the people to reestablish themselves in the land.

• Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes: These kings were not Jewish but took steps to ensure and protect the mission to rebuild moving forward.

It took every single leader doing their part to move the needle, and they didn't have the luxury of teams meetings and project map outs. God did the heavy lift on that part.

PROCESS AND STICK TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT

When you are rebuilding, the gut as the leader is to take it to late nights, internalizing and lifting as much as possible to "protect the team" or the adverse of offloading it all and hiding away to avoid the pain.

Like everything else in scripture, however, we are required to find a delicate balance of understanding and owning the vision, while inspiring others to begin owning their own pieces.

Note in Nehemiah the initial phase of taking action took time- he needed to process bad news, heal and seek guidance before acting. This can feel counterproductive in today's speedy news cycle, but our brains are dangerous when we're emotional. Side note: Griefshare actually recommends no big decisions for six months when processing loss, and believe it or not, our brains see loss as loss- that includes work!

As leaders of faith, we are called to build and rebuild using biblical principles and that means working with what or who is left, seeking His guidance and allowing everyone to be a part of the next steps. The road to rebuild can be as long as we choose to make it, so let your team engage, move and experience the excitement of progress.

LEGACIES ARE BUILT BEYOND OURSELVES

Nehemiah knew he had a limited amount of time to do the work. He needed everyone to see the possibility in owning their part. His role to was inspire movement, show effort and create a culture of excellence.

Biblical figures didn't have the luxury of video calls and emails. Nehemiah, Paul and so many others had to instill vision and buy in, build relationships of trust and train well. They may never get to lay eyes on a finished project or goal, so they moved with the belief and fortitude that they had done everything they could. Then, they let the people cook.

Where are you clinging today that you need to release? Where do you need to cast vision and trust more? Where have you fought progress and what steps can you take today for movement?