^“Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.” — Ezra 4:4–5

As the Jewish people progressed in the building of the Second Temple, they encountered resistance. Everything was going smoothly until a group of people, the Samaritans, decided to rock the boat. They came under the guise of peace and expressed interest in helping to build the Temple, but what they really wanted to do was sabotage the construction.

The Jews politely declined and basically said “thanks for the offer guys, but this is something that we’ve got to do on our own.” This didn’t sit well with the Samaritans and they showed their true colours by making all kinds of trouble for the Jews.

They used every trick in the book to dissuade the people from completing the project. They frightened the Jews, sabotaged their work, and told lies about them to the ruling government. And they succeeded.

Construction of the Temple was stopped. All the momentum and all the joy that had accompanied the Jews thus far came to a screeching halt as they encountered one obstacle after the next until they could overcome them no more.

And so it goes with life. One moment we are flying high with our newest idea or our latest plans; the next moment we collide head on with a wall in our way. What do we do then? How do we respond? Do we turn around and go back the way we came, or do we stick around until we can find a way around the barrier?

The Jewish people stuck it out for eighteen years until they were able to continue building the Temple. They persevered and eventually reached their goal. We can do the same. With perseverance, we can overcome almost any obstacle. But why does God put them there in the first place? Why did the Master of the World allow the Samaritans to stand in the way?

When a person wants to strengthen their muscles, there is only one way: resistance. Go to any gym and the strongest individuals are working the hardest. They load on the weights and push themselves to their limit. The more they sweat, the stronger they get.

And so God helps us out when we want something by making us work hard for it. When we work hard for something, it strengthens our commitment to that goal. The more we are committed to a goal the more likely we are to achieve and sustain it in the long term.

So it was for the Jews who built the Temple, and so it is for any goal that we pursue today.

Next time you find yourself up against a wall, don’t dismay. Embrace the resistance. It’s that very resistance that gives way to your goals.