Needing to take out the trash

Nehemiah 4:10
The builders are pooped, the rubbish piles up; we're in over our heads, we can't build this wall.

Another cause of discouragement is rubbish piling up.  The sight of so much rubbish caused the builders who were trying to rebuild Jerusalem's wall to become discouraged, they lost sight of their goal.  They were trying to build a new wall after the old one was destroyed, but there were lots of old, and broken bits of rock, and dried out mortar everywhere they looked from the old wall.  They lost sight of their goal.

Dealing with the rubbish to remove it is difficult, but must be done.  Don't give up.  Don't let the rubbish overrun you or keep you from the real project in front of you.

Reading this today really speaks to my problem of procrastination.  It's a vicious cycle.  I keep thinking, I have time, one more hour of reading my book/watching TV/tidying the house/going for a run - it won't matter, I'll still have plenty of time to do x/y/z afterwards.  Then I feel guilty for not getting to the task at hand.

It's time I took out the trash, and start to deal with the real task at hand.  God won't magically do it for me.  I have to put the work in myself.

For example, you'll never pass an exam if you only pray to God 'please let me pass' if you've not cracked open any books to even try and learn the stuff.  That's not how God works.

Strength grows through struggles.  Courage develops in challenges.  Wisdom matures from wounds.