Under Construction

The car park opposite my flat is being turned into a block of flats. 

 

It has been boarded up for months, but with my first-floor view, I could see what was going on: nothing much.  It is only in the last month that the boards have come down and work has begun.

 

The ground has been dug up over the past few days and just today, I have noticed that the first foundations have been laid.

 

I am amazed by how quickly the work is being done, now that they have started.

 

It reminded me of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, as retold in the book of Nehemiah:

"Then I gave them my report: 'Face it: we’re in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up.  Come—let’s build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer.' [...]  They said, 'We’re with you.  Let’s get started.'  They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work."

 

[Nehemiah 2:17-18 MSG]

 

As we read the story of Nehemiah, we see that the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was a collaborative endeavour.  Each section was rebuilt by a different person - all of whom are named in the book - each one adding something to the wall.

 

I imagine that the walls of Jerusalem could have been rebuilt by just one person, but the work would have taken forever.  It would have been easy to become discouraged and fed up and to feel that there was no point in continuing.  But with a group of people each working on different areas, the work was completed much faster. 

 

What's more, the workers could encourage and support each other:

"We kept at it, repairing and rebuilding the wall. The whole wall was soon joined together and halfway to its intended height because the people had a heart for the work."

 

[Nehemiah 4:6 MSG]

 

In the same way, we need others around us to help with our 'reconstruction' work: we can try it on our own, but we will soon become discouraged and frustrated and disillusioned.  With other people around us, supporting and encouraging us, we will find that we can get the work done much faster and much more effectively.

 

We are all 'under construction' and we all need people around us who will encourage us when we feel like giving up, who will build when we are tired and who will remind us of the goal - the finished building - when all we can see is rubble.