Remaining enthused, ardent and devoted to something from start to finish requires us to keep going even when the going gets tough. 

Dig In

As a carpenter’s wife, I’ve labored alongside my husband on more than a few building projects. Before we even said our wedding vows, we embarked upon our first enterprise; tearing down an old two story house to harvest the materials to build our first home.

It was his idea and it was a good one. The old two story house we bought to tear down was affordable and we would save quite a bit of money by using the used lumber instead of buying new lumber. But as it is with any undertaking, we never know what lies within the commitment we make. 

To begin with, there was a deadline. The owners wanted the house down and all the material cleaned up within a month. 

And so, instead of laboring only on the weekends we labored seven days a week. Claw hammers in hand, we removed interior and exterior boards, cleaning them of old nails and then stacking the lumber. We’d load our truck with the old lumber and haul the material to our property; a forty mile round trip.

It was his idea and it was a good one, but there were times when I wondered if the project was worth the labor. My weary hands brought me to tears, the fatigue in my head caused impatience, and my lack of enthusiasm sometimes forced me to sit down swearing I’d never get up again. At times, I nearly threw in the towel and walked away. 

But, thankfully, sometimes help arrived. Whenever possible, friends and family came alongside us, and picked up hammers giving us a much needed hand. 

A week before our wedding, my in-laws arrived. They spent the week working alongside us, cleaning and stacking boards. 

I’ll never forget the encouraging words my father-in-law spoke to me as I sat on a pile of lumber considering whether or not I had what it took to keep going. He told me, “Nothing worthwhile happens in an instant!” 

And then, we were finally done. The old house was down and the salvaged material lay in orderly piles on our property, ready to be used again in building our “new” home. 

Why bother staying enthused? Since nothing worthwhile happens in an instant, anything worthwhile takes committed enthusiasm.