And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.” — Nehemiah 6:3

Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. That alone was a monstrous task.

But while he was trying to accomplish the work God had given him, he also had to deal with mockery, intimidation, people questioning his motives, and finally, attempts to pull him away from the work altogether.

And when you really notice Nehemiah’s response, it’s tough not to appreciate it!

He didn’t stop working to argue that his cause was just. He didn’t try to convince everyone that God had told him to be there. He didn’t climb down from the wall so he could shame his critics into picking up a brick and helping.

He essentially said: I am not stopping what I know is right to argue with people who aren’t contributing anything.

Wow! That’s a pretty powerful statement.

And if you’ve ever worked construction, you probably understand it better than most.

How many times have you been on a jobsite doing the actual work while half a dozen people stand around criticizing how you’re doing it?

Not stepping up to help, mind you. Just explaining how they would do it.

How they could do it faster. How they would make it more efficient. Pointing out every little imperfection and telling you everything they would have done differently.

Let’s be real. There is a tremendous difference between criticizing the person carrying the bricks and actually being the one carrying the bricks.

One of the workers here has this piece of wall art hanging in their home with a version of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous “Man in the Arena” passage. They first heard it in junior high, remembered it, and later a friend asked them to write it down and then turn it into this wall art. It wasn’t until years later that they realized the words came from Theodore Roosevelt—and that the version hanging on the wall wasn’t word-for-word correct.

But the message stuck.

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena.

The person doing the work.

The person getting dirty.

The person trying.

The person failing, learning, getting back up, and continuing.

That idea fits Nehemiah pretty well.

He was on the wall.

His critics weren’t.

Critics Are Everywhere

People will be quick to criticize the business you started, the ministry you stepped up to take over, the family you are trying to lead in a Godly manner, the job you accepted. The decision you made, or the work you genuinely believe God has led you into.

Some people may give you advice because they love you and sincerely want to help. Listen to those people. (God does not always want you to take their advice, but He wants you to stop and listen to them. It may be for their benefit as much as yours!)

But others seem to take almost a vicious joy in finding every tiny flaw.

If you spend all your time answering every criticism, defending every decision, correcting every rumor, and convincing every person who misunderstands you, eventually you won’t have any time left to actually do the work.

That is why Nehemiah’s response is so remarkable: “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.”

In other words: I have work to do.

Not Everyone Needs a Response

That can be hard to remember, especially when the criticism hurts, especially when it comes from friends, especially when someone completely misunderstands your motives.

Your first reaction may be to defend yourself, to explain, to prove them wrong, to make sure everyone knows your side.

But not everyone needs a response.

Sometimes the distraction itself may be the test.

Will you leave the work God gave you just to argue with someone standing at the bottom of the wall?

There are going to be a lot of voices shouting at you.

Some will be loud. Some will be convincing. Some will make you angry. Some will make you question yourself.

But God’s voice is still the one that matters most.

Scripture describes His voice as a “still small voice.”

That means you had better learn to listen carefully, because the loudest voice in your life is not automatically the most important one.

The crowd can be loud. Critics can be loud. Fear can be loud. Pride can be loud. Your own emotions can be loud.

God does not have to compete with any of them.

His voice is the one you need to hear.

But Stay Humble

Now, there is another side to this.

“Don’t listen to critics” should never become an excuse for arrogance.

It should never become:

Nobody can tell me anything because I know God told me what to do.

That can become dangerous very quickly.

First Thessalonians 5:21 tells us:

“But test everything; hold fast what is good.”

Stay humble. Receive the correction God gives you. Stay in God’s Word. Stay teachable.

Sometimes God uses another person to show you something you need to change.

And sometimes the lesson God gives you through another person is simply an example of what NOT to do.

Learn from both. And make sure you have someone in your life who can hold you accountable.

Not somebody who tells you everything you want to hear. You need someone who isn’t afraid of you when you get angry.

Someone who will tell you when you’re wrong. Someone who will forgive you when you mess up, and someone who will pick the bricks back up and keep building beside you.

That kind of person is valuable.

Keep Carrying the Bricks

If you are doing what God has called you to do, don’t allow the criticism of this world to stop the work of God.

Does criticism hurt?

OF COURSE IT DOES!

It hurts even more when it comes from friends.

But when that happens, stop and think about what Jesus went through for you. Really stop and think about it.

Not the cleaned-up, PG version.

Think about the real version.

The betrayal.

The humiliation.

The beating.

The mocking.

The nails.

The cross.

The agony.

And He STILL chose forgiveness.

If Christ could endure that for us, then with His help we can endure some hurt feelings.

We can offer forgiveness. We can extend grace, and we can keep working.

You do not have to answer every person standing at the bottom of the wall. You do not have to win every argument. You do not have to convince every critic. You need to know Whose voice you are listening to, and when you know that God has called you to the work in front of you, you can say what Nehemiah said:

“I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.”

Keep carrying those bricks.

Keep swinging that hammer.

Keep building for God.

And whatever you do—

DON’T COME DOWN FROM THE WALL.

Unless GOD tells you to!