Rebuilding the Wall

This was the title of the breakout session at my conference last week. It was so vague that of course it peaked my interest. Sandwiched in between “Transfer Credits”, “Student Government”, “Science Labs on a short Timetable” something about it said come. So I went.

This session was led by a school administrator. Let me take a moment to refresh your memory: I work for a private Christian school which partners with parents for a whole new model of school. Our students are not full time five days a week but alternate between here and home with parents taking an active role in the education of their children. This idea is very different from the normal public education I had but I’ve see the benefits of it and the blessings it is to both parents and children. Ok back to the conference. So this administrator really just took the time to share with us his heart, his struggles with the school, and how God’s word spoke to him.


Now I realize that many of you are thinking what does a school conference have to do with me? Well keep reading and I think you will be able to relate to the “heart” of his words.

Aaron (the speaker)’s school has been around for five years now and he was seeing an attitude and heart of complacency and even rebellion. The school was having more discipline problems than ever before, parents weren’t involved, the staff was floundering on having a vision, and everything had just become second nature. There was no heart to any of it.

Aaron was discouraged and happen to stumble upon the book of Nehemiah. He said that as he read it he was entranced with the insight that God was showing him as he read through Nehemiah’s mission to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

Here is some background if you don’t remember your nation of Israel history. Most of the nation had been taken into captivity at this point and a small remnant was left in Israel. The walls around the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed by warring nations and the glory of the promised city and nation of God’s people was left in rubble. Nehemiah was an official in the king of Babylon and left with permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall.

Back to the story. So Aaron is looking the towers around the new wall and how the towers are to protect the people within the city by watching out for coming trouble. And then the gates are there to monitor the flow of people. He then related this to his school and the board members as the watch towers, the staff as the gates, and the parents as the wall. This entire living wall then creates a place of safety and shelter to the children the school is training so that one day they may take their place on the wall. He also talked about how the people would build while holding a spear in one hand ready to do battle with the any nation that would come against them.

This is all a rambling story to get you to this one point. At the end of his session I was ready to sign up to work for him. Why? Because this man had a mission, he had a vision of what God had placed on his heart and he was leading the way to complete that mission. This was a man who had answered the call God had placed before him, had pondered the mission and was leading the charge to accomplish that which God chose him to do.

Men lend me your ears for a few minutes here. Women desire this type of leadership, both in a relationship, in work, in ministry, in anything. Ladies you are welcome to disagree with me but this is my opinion. I want to follow a man who leads. I don’t want to follow a guy who has no idea where he is going, why he is going this way, or what he is doing along the way. I want to follow a man who seeks to do that which God has specifically called him. Who is excited and has a vision in his heart of what he is doing. This is one of the most frustrating things for a woman in anything, to have a man who does not lead, or who leads but has no vision. Gentlemen you are given a distinct challenge and role. You are to lead the charge, to set the pace, to rally the troops, and to pull them into your vision of what, when, where, and most importantly why. Share with me your heart. Tell me what God is teaching you. Let me get caught up in the vision, in the mission you are calling me to join.

So that was what I got from his talk. We are called to do great things in the name of God. Things beyond our abilities, our efforts, our dreams. What an amazing calling. Where are the men that are going to take that calling and lead the way?

This is not a rail on men post but more of an encouragement to be what you were created and to know that you will be followed into battle, into the mission, into the fight.