Many Hands
- The Narrow Path
- Aug 9, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 30, 2024
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel (Nehemiah 3:1, NIV).
A couple months ago I had the privilege of being able to travel with a group out west to Denver, Colorado in order to serve a local church plant that welcomed our help with open arms. It was the first mission trip I’ve ever taken, and it was a very full week.
We spent time scrubbing floors, patching holes in walls, painting, and investing a lot of sweat equity to help create a space that looks nice, feels safe, and is welcoming to folks who attend. Our group that traveled was sizable, and multi-generational, which I think was my favorite part.
8 women, 3 men. Ages in the group spanned six decades, and everyone contributed in a way that allowed us to make significant progress in a short period of time. Communication was critical, and everyone was onboard to do whatever was needed in order to meet the needs of The Local Church in Arvada, Colorado.
One of the first mornings we gathered together to divide up responsibilities for the day. It was very cool to witness how everything just fell into place. We didn’t even need to have a conversation to assign tasks, as everyone naturally moved toward a particular project that allowed them to utilize their specific strengths, and talents.
Throughout the week, our group showed up, worked hard, and together we were able to accomplish far beyond what the church had even hoped for during the short amount of time we were there.
Every evening we spent time debriefing the day’s events, and sharing how the Lord had shown up. I specifically remember how amazing it was to see members of our group step up to put in the work, despite dealing with their own physical ailments that could have limited our progress.
One of our group members painted trim from the top of a ladder all week without her dizziness getting flared up. Another member spent time on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor, even with a bad shoulder. Yet another stood in the kitchen for hours cleaning and organizing despite having some issues with low back pain.
Everyone contributed. The Lord kept us safe and healthy, and the amount of progress made was amazing to see! If you’ve ever heard the phrase “many hands make light work”, that would be true of how God worked through our efforts that week. It was such a blessing to see how the Lord protected all of us as we leaned into whatever tasks were placed in front of us.
Our time working for The Local Church reminds me of the story from Nehemiah 3, which tells the story of the builders of the wall. Though not a specific verse to point you toward, I encourage you to read the entire chapter. As I read through it myself, the thing I was most drawn to was the phrase: “Next to him”. By my count, this shows up 18 times in the 32 verses of the chapter. I’d call that significant. So many hands, each working side by side, to accomplish a task that would likely have been overwhelming without them working together.
In the coming months when I have an opportunity to share about my mission trip, I’ll point people to Nehemiah 3. When we show up, and are willing to use the gifts, talents, and strengths the Lord has given each of us, He can accomplish so much more than we could ever imagine.
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