What are these feeble Jews doing?
“Will they finish up in a day?”
“Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish?”
Then one answers, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”
(Neh 4: 1-3)
I imagine a large group standing in a tent or courtyard, chuckling and laughing within earshot, pretending the effort is feeble. Building the wall doesn’t matter. It will make no difference.
The back-breaking, hard work, the stress and pressure—none of it matters. The wall they are building and putting their hope in will crumble.
The most effective criticisms are not the kind that originate from the smartest or most capable intellects in books and journals.
The most devastating criticism doesn’t come from those who make the best case or sound the most true.
The most effective criticism and ridicule are those that echo what we have already been saying to ourselves.
That kind of criticism we crumble under. It doesn’t need to be true in any part.
But if it echoes what we have already been saying to ourselves, we buckle.
No matter how long you’ve been homeschooling/parenting, the questions and self-doubt come. There are probably many of you reading this right now who are doubting whether you should even homeschool next year because of these doubts.
In chapter 2, Nehemiah is commissioned by the king. In chapter 3, the people work to build the wall and close it in to about half its final height. I want to skip ahead to chapter 4 for now because I believe that is where many of you are right now.
Sanballet and the people around Jerusalem start to ridicule and criticize the Israelites working on the wall.
Many in this same situation would build a case against the criticism. They would do their research and argue from the technical aspects of why the wall is strong. They might focus on the quality of the stone and mortar, or on the thickness and height.
Others would just get angry, yell insults, and call their scoffers names. They might attack the character of their detractors.
Another group, their enthusiasm for the project would take a hit. They wouldn’t stop. But they would stop showing up every day. They would get sick more. Slow down. Take longer breaks.
With all of these, the critics win!
The way you defeat this sort of criticism and accusation is by seeing whatever you are doing from the same perspective as God and with the same point of view as God.
That should be your prayer.
This is what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane.
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.”
Jesus walked into the Garden of Gethsemane, sorrowful and distraught.
Rehearsing the pain of the Cross.
The rejection and the next 24 hours of accusations.
Being slapped by the temple guards;
Being rejected by the Sanhedrin and accused of blasphemy;
Being denied by Peter;
Having his beard pulled out;
Getting whipped with a whip with shards of bones and stone glued to it;
The crown of thorns;
Being nailed to the Cross;
And being diminished and insulted from the ground.
Dying!
Resurrecting!
He, the Christ, sweats great drops of blood in his distress, and then he says, “Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.”
Speaking to God the Father, Jesus sees the Cross the way God sees the Cross. And, Jesus gets up. Rebukes the disciples who have fallen asleep,
“The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”
And then Jesus goes to pray again,
“My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
When I think of the Cross and that time leading to it, I am amazed at what Jesus Christ endured, and I am amazed at the evil that performed that kind of pain and violence on someone else knowing that it was wrong—that Jesus was being wrongly accused. Or, the soldiers who whipped and beat him, not caring.
The vast majority of us will never be called on to go through the same anguish and pain. Getting through this kind of pain is not the point I am trying to make.
The point is that we all deal with criticism and doubt.
We all have our accusers.
The most effective of these criticisms is the one that reiterates and magnifies what we are already saying to ourselves.
And, the way we counter and overcome this sort of criticism is to perceive the situation the same way God views it. If God is in it, then viewing it from God’s perspective will give you strength. It will minimize the criticism.
And, viewing the situation as God views it is active. It is what warriors do. They share their leader’s perspective. This is not giving in, giving up, or throwing up your hands and just saying it is out of my control.
This is active. Seek out God’s perspective and go to it–as a Warrior
When I imagine this, I think of a king giving a speech to rally his army. He yells a rallying cry. They beat their shields, and then they race down the hill to attack their enemy.
You will be able to look past criticism. You will be able to sleep.
This is how David was able to sleep at night in caves and in the open, even though Saul and his henchmen chased him. This is why he was able to lie down in peace and sleep. (Ps. 4:8). This is why David was able to resist the urge to kill Saul; he saw things the way God saw them.
And this is how the Israelites in Nehemiah’s day, while weak in numbers and strength, were able to continue the work against a Samaritan army and detractors who oppressed them.
If you think about it, none of the Israelites who worked on the wall were actual builders. They were priests, goldsmiths, water carriers, and shepherds. None were professional builders. I will let you make your own application here.
They saw the situation the way God saw it.
This is why so many come to Teach Them Diligently in the Spring and make the event a can’t-miss. This is what happens as families sit in the crowds and hear speakers inspire and encourage them.
There is a re-orientation. A re-framing. As families face challenges throughout the year of homeschooling, things can get off track. Our priorities get shook up. We hear the criticisms. Moms don’t quite get through that curriculum. And the criticism so often comes from inside themselves.
You are a failure
You are ruining your kids
They are going to fall behind
They are going to hate you because they miss out
They are going to be awkward socially
Then your family walks into the convention center at a Teach Them Diligently, and your perspective changes.
Parents are the facilitator to Christ, not the hindrance
Your kids need you more than anyone else.
Your kids are way further ahead than you think
Things are not as good as you think in a traditional classroom
Relationships are the power, not the content.
This is your calling
Your children need more of you and not less
Those who leave refreshed feel a calling. They are re-oriented. The reason…
They are reoriented to thinking about what they do each day with their children, seeing it the same way God sees it.
Curriculum is a great tool, but it does not give you this.
Planners are great tools as well.
Many speakers make amazing points and give great tips.
But the difference comes in seeing your home the way God sees it. Your home is a launch-point for the Gospel. In the Great Commission, your home is your Jerusalem.
