Nehemiah 4:3 “Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, ‘Even what they are building-if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!’”

NAME CALLERS

Get the picture! Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem from exile and was leading the people to rebuild the walls around the city. They had worked hard for days and were seeing progress. However, the enemies of God did not want to see this accomplished.

Tobiah mocks them by saying even a fox could knock down the wall. If I had been Nehemiah I may have said, “I’ll show you what a fox can knock down!” But not Nehemiah. He was a humble servant, bent on doing what was right on behalf of his God. He was patient and deliberate. He simply prayed that God would take care of them.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children are going to encounter people who will make fun of them. Kids can be cruel at times. They make fun of people’s hair, nose, glasses, weight – you name it. Teaching our children to not take these insults personally is a skill every parent must have.

So what do you say? Use the Word. God made each of us in His image. So any remark against them is an insult to God’s creativity. That is your child’s comeback, if you want to call it that. They need to be reminded, time and time again, that they are perfect in the eyes of God. He made them just like He wanted to. God does not make junk.

Now, I realize that sounds awful easy. But when the tears come after they have been ridiculed or insulted, you want to show that other person “what a fox can knock down.” Don’t! Instead, like Nehemiah, let God handle it for you. Pray for the other person. Better yet, lead your child to pray for them. Now that’s power!