Nehemiah 8:1-3, 9-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

1 all the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Inner Struggle

If I could have my own way.I would stay up late most nights and not get out of bed until at least 8 o’clock. I would stay up reading until midnight, shimmy into bed, and not have to bother with an alarm clock. This is not my reality. 

Instead, I force myself to bed at 9, give myself an hour to read, then lights out by 10.  The reality is that either my alarm will go off at 5:30 or our son will. We are at a stage of life, with a small child who is early to rise, that there’s no sleeping in.

Rarely does a morning go by that my internal toddler self isn’t yelling, “I don’t want to!”

I do NOT want to get up early!“I don’t want to!”But there we are. There’s a great deal of things  in life that must or should be done, that we just don’t want to. 

The Struggle is Real

So while I don’t ever feel like getting out of bed at 5 am, I’ve learned to savor these moments with our son. I let the inner grump in me have a few moments to sigh then, I pick up our child, cuddle on the couch with him while I drink my first cup of hot tea and, choose to relish the freedom of time that I have in the morning before work.  

By 8 most mornings, I feel as if I’ve already accomplished a fair amount. Much of life is like this isn’t it? Learning to cope with what must be done and finding the resolve 

to get it done. In the midst of the constant demands of life, I’ve found, that there is a toddler in each of us. A small voice that cries for comfort, ease, and rest.

This voice – Not to be confused with the still small voice of God- is a part of our everyday journey.  How often do you think to yourself,“ I don’t want to!”? Sometimes we feel this way about small things or daily tasks like:

Getting out of bed early

“I don’t want to”

Going outside in cold winter weather

“I don’t want to”

Paying the bills

“I don’t want to”

House hold chores

“I don’t want to”

Going to the gym

“I don’t want to”

Getting up on a Sunday to go to Church

“I don’t want to”

Often, these feelings spring up in us when we are working on something that we want to achieve or toward a goal that we are resolved to meet.  

I am praying over all of the  resolutions turned in, not just my own, and I have found myself wondering at times:Did the persons who resolved to take a daily walk wake up and see the thermometer at 27 degrees this morning and think:

“I don’t want to”

Or did the ones who wrote “pray more” feel overwhelmed by all the to-do’s on their list this week and after a long day say:

“I don’t want to”

to the prayer time because you were tired?

What do we do when our resolve wanes? How do we deal with this all too real and constant internal tug-of-war? How do we confront this inner toddler self and shut down or dis-engage the mode of : “I don’t want to”

For some personality types, this is easier dealt with than others. If you took the enneagram test I recommended in week 3 and you identified as a number 1, 3,  4, or 8 you might find that internal motivation and staying the course is less of a daily struggle and more an intermittent nuisance.

BUT: for the vast majority of people and personality types, finding resolve for the long-term is a perpetual need.  This need is not new to us in the modern era.  It has been a consistent challenge for humans throughout history and was most certainly an obstacle of faith found in scripture.

Read the above  scripture from Nehemiah 8.

The Call is bigger than the Obstacles

You may recall that the book of Nehemiah was written during the post-exilic age.  The Israelite Kingdom that had once been united had split into a Southern and Northern Kingdom. The North falling first to the Assyrians and then the South eventually to the Babylonians. The Hebrew people had been forcibly removed to various sites throughout Mesopotamia and had come under the rule of the Persian Empire.

During this age, the major sites and cities held sacred by the Israelites had been destroyed.  This included the city of Jerusalem and the once Holiest of Holy spaces-the temple.  

Nehemiah was an exiled Jew who worked his way up the Persian ranks and became a most trusted advisor to the Persian Emperor. Through a series of events, Nehemiah experienced a call from God to reconstruct and restore his homeland.  He shared this with the king.

Israel, it’s lands and its people, were on the verge of being obliterated by the imperial rule of exile and internal struggles. God called Nehemiah and Ezra to step forward and lead the people.

I can’t help but think there must have been at least a few moments for both of these guys when they thought to themselves, “Uuuhh,  noooo…  I do not want to deal with this mess!”

The work that Ezra and Nehemiah led among the people of Israel was extremely difficult.  But in the end, the construction of the second temple and the fortification of the city of Jerusalem were re-established.

What did it take to have that kind of resolve?

How did Nehemiah and Ezra stay firm through the many tribulations and trials of this reconstruction age?

 Remember the Call

Even when we think we have lost our resolve there is a way to regain perspective.  The best way I know to do this is to remember what called me to tack the resolution/goal in the first place.

Nehemiah and Ezra had every excuse and reason to give up but they had a specific call from God with a realistic, albeit challenging, goal.  

Equally, they had a mantra that they preached and taught to help keep their resolve: “The Joy of the Lord is our strength” [ Nehemiah 8:10] 

So, when your enthusiasm dwindles and you need a jolt of joyful strength here are a few helpful tips and tricks to keep you on the road to happiness:

Tackle a NaggingTask: 

• An important aspect of happiness is managing your moods. Studies show that one of the best ways to lift your mood is to engineer an easy success, such as tackling a long-delayed chore.
• In her book,  The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin shares: 
  • “ I was astounded by the dramatic boost in my mental energy that came from taking care of neglected tasks. “
• We all have nagging tasks:
  • that drawer of clutter that you throw things into,
  • that box of receipts lying tucked away in your closet.
  • Pick something simple and realistic
• Nehemiah had an enormous call and mission.  He could have easily been overwhelmed from the start. So, he set an initial goal of a night-time survey of the land. It helped toward the long term goal of rebuilding the city.  It gave him much needed information for rebuilding, but it was a simple one time task. 

 

The “1 minute rule” 

• Look around you.  Notice small things that need to be done that won’t take more than 60 seconds.
• Take a minute and do one of them when you’re feeling stuck or frustrated.
• You will be surprised what it can do for your energy and self esteem. 

A Healthy Treat

• I.e. A quick happiness boost
• A healthy treat can be a BIG happiness boost.
• For my early morning starts with our son, I take a few minutes and make my favorite cup of English Breakfast tea. I sip and savor it with my toddler beside me on the couch. 

Get Some Perspective

• I know that these days won’t last forever and while there are definitely some mornings when I roll over in bed and groan to my husband“You go handle the baby.” I use the most helpful tip I “gaining perspective.” As Rubin states in her “Third Splendid Truth: 
  • “The Days are long but the years are short.”
• This saying has become a mantra for me. It is a statement of truth that reframes my perspective.
• Say this mantra in your head or out-loud.  It’s a poignant reminder to call to mind when the moment is weighing you down.

Listen to the Toddler Inside:

• Don’t over look the obvious. We all need to remember that there still a bit of toddler in each of us. The lovely thing about toddlers is that you always know where you stand with them.
• They are going to let you know when they are hungry, tired, frustrated, scared etc. So remember to consider your own needs:
  • Pack a snack
  • Take a nap
  • Go outside and play
  • don’t forget to pray.

 

Breath Prayer:

• If the mantra doesn’t cut it for me then a breath prayer almost always does.  You can take the declaration made in this scripture and think it or say in each breath when you need a happiness boost: “The joy of the Lord is my Strength.”

Application:

1. Write a list of 10 “nagging tasks” and try one out when you need a happiness boost.
2. Write a list of 10 health treats and try one out when you need a happiness post
3. Write both lists from above and keep them with you to use when you need a happiness boost.  Have a friend or family member do the same and share your experience with them.  

Blessings y’all,

Rev.Wren