fight.

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 

Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 

Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.
 

Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubble that we are not able to build the wall.”
 

And our adversaries said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
 

So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
 

Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 

And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, 

“Do not be afraid of them. 

Remember the Lord, 

great and awesome, 

and fight for your brothers, 

your sons, 

your daughters, 

your wives, 

and your homes.” 

Nehemiah 4:7-14

 

I was moved reading this today. 

I was just talking yesterday, about the times we thought we couldn't do something, that it was impossible to survive..

I've had those times, the worst of them being in 2010. 

In 2011, I turned around and looked, the way Nehemiah did, and I was amazed. I remember what I said then - "How far we've come!"

People who don't believe in miracles are people who've never looked back and said just that - 

How far we've come.

I don't do year-end evaluations anymore, because ever since 2010, my year begins and ends in May.

Posted this before - 

when the world says you can't,
it'll tell you that you can.
what is it?