Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford
6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Nehemiah 4:6
How badly do you want it? Whenever we determine to accomplish something, whether it is a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or finish that novel or just get out of bed, we have to decide how much we really want to do it. We need to keep that in mind because the minute we determine to do something is the minute obstacles will begin to appear. Sometimes they are real and sometimes they are creations of our own imaginations, but you can be assured that they will appear.
Vision
When I started making my goals for the new 12-week year (See Sidebar), I determined to take my freelance writing career to the next level: actually getting paid. In order to reach this goal, I would need to send out actual queries to paying markets. I had a few ideas, but suddenly three opportunities popped up in the same week. It would have been great except I had three topics and no ideas. Talk about your obstacles! How badly did I want it?
The minute Nehemiah showed up in Jerusalem enemies showed up as well. Three men in particular did not want the walls rebuilt and they made it their goal to stop it with whatever means possible. They tried laughing at the mere suggestion in hopes that the people would lose hope and drop the idea. Then they tried intimidation. Finally, they conspired with other countries to plan an attack against the workers. The plan of their enemies failed for three reasons: mindset, focus, and willingness.
Mindset
Nehemiah 4:6 tells us that the people had a mind to work. They had determined that they would follow Nehemiah and rebuild the walls. If they had been the least bit undecided, then the obstacles would surely have deterred them. Especially, when the enemy decided to find some friends and physically attack. It was bad enough when they were being mocked, but now it was serious. How badly did they want the walls built?
Focus
When word got to Nehemiah about the planned attack, he went straight to God. His focus wasn’t on the enemy; it was on God. God had given him the vision, so he knew that God would provide protection and victory. Still, Nehemiah also knew that they needed to prepare for the attack. How badly did they want the walls built?
Willingness
Nehemiah distributed weapons to all the workers so that they could be ready to fight in an instant. Some even had a weapon ready in one hand while they held tools for the work with the other. They were willing to fight for the right to defend themselves. They were willing to overcome the obstacles in order to make the vision a reality.
Results
When the enemy heard that their attack was known, they stood down. The workers continued to build the wall, but they did not put away their weapons. They kept them close by just in case the enemy tried again.
How badly did I want it? Was I willing to fight for it? The answer was yes on both counts. I wanted to make it a reality, so I set my mind to do the work. I looked at the obstacles before me, and then I remembered the next step. I took my obstacles to the one who gave me the vision and asked for help. When I shifted the focus from my own weakness to God’s limitless resources, it opened the floodgates. Suddenly I had more ideas than I knew where to put them. Then, I started writing.
So, how badly do you want to make the vision a reality?
Related Posts:
Amen; and when your desire and determination aligns with God’s will, you can be unstoppable. Such an encouraging post Ms. Linda. Loved it ma’am! Great examples!
Nehemiah is a great example of overcoming obstacles. Blessings in your writing journey.