Build the Wall
“Now strengthen my hands.”
Nehemiah 6:19 (NIV)
I’ve been involved in high school football for the last fifty years, first as a coach’s wife, then as a player’s mom, and now as a head coach’s Mom. Every football season begins with anticipation, excitement, hope, optimism, dreams of a state title, and a little bit of fear. But the reality is that only one team will win a championship. By the end of the first week of the season, 50% of the teams have already lost a game. Adversity and discouragement are as much a part of football as touchdowns and penalties.
Our local high school team’s mission statement is “Build with the end in mind.”
The Bible has a lot to say about building. The word “build” is used approximately 375 times in scripture. There’s actually a whole book in the Old Testament written about an important building project.
The book of Nehemiah records the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem 2400 years ago after the Jews’ exile in Babylon ended. Walls that had been rubble for 150 years were restored and rebuilt in only 52 days. All because one man cast a vision for the building project and challenged the people to build. “Let us arise and build.” (Nehemiah 2:18) was their response. The people then went to work building.
Nehemiah chapter 3 provides the details for both the wall’s construction and the workers who built it. The words “next to him/next to them” occur 21 times as the people strategically worked shoulder to shoulder to get the work done. The workers had different jobs during the building project. Some removed rubble; some carried water; some laid beams; and some provided protection by carrying weapons and standing guard. No matter the job, in the end it all added up to a completed wall.
During the project the builders faced opposition, adversity, intimidation, ridicule, and hostile enemies. But the Jews continued their work, posted guards, and prayed: “Strengthen my hands” (Nehemiah 6:9).
Discouragement triggered by fear, fatigue, and frustration, set in among the workers at the halfway point of the building project. Governor Nehemiah responded by repositioning the workers by families directly in front of their own homes or businesses. “Remember the LORD and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your homes,” he said. (Nehemiah 4:14)
With God’s help, shoulder to shoulder, the workers completed the wall in 52 days. They worked, not just with their hands, but with their whole hearts. (Nehemiah 4:6)
They didn’t realize it at the time they were building, but they weren’t just building a wall for protection; they were also building relationships and community as people put their hearts and hands to the work shoulder to shoulder.
Last week I was privileged to speak to over one hundred high school football moms on building the wall. Biblically, walls represent not just defense and protection, but salvation. “You will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.” (Isaiah 60:18)
There have been a number of changes over the last fifty years within both the sport of football and our culture. Cell phones, social media, NIL, and the transfer portal are just a few of those changes, but the essentials for building relationships and community remain the same. We build relationships with acceptance, affirmation, affection, availability, and accessibility. We build or tear down with our actions, attitudes, and most of all, with our words. And tearing something or someone down is a lot easier than building them up.
Three strategies helped me successfully navigate our sons’ high school athletic years:
Feed them – “If you feed them, they will come.” Each week during the season our home was host to a pre-game meal for our son’s closest teammates. Our finances were tight, but the investment was worth every penny. Practicing hospitality opened the door to developing and building long-term relationships.
Hug them- Each teenager got a hug before they left for the stadium. Initially the boys protested, but those same boys are now grown men who continue to hug me when I see them.
Pray for them– “How can I best pray for you?” was just a question, but it somehow lowered defenses and offered a glimpse into their hearts, lives, fears, and struggles.
Just a few of these athletes will play beyond high school, and even fewer will play beyond college, but the benefits of working hard, building relationships, persevering, and finishing what was started should serve them well when the going gets tough in marriage, parenting, and careers.
Lord, strengthen our hands and help us to build.