Looking out my window the other day, I saw a building contractor accessing a lot across the street. That does not sound unusual—unless you saw the lot. It looks about as wide as a sidewalk. That is an exaggeration, but seriously, it is hard to believe someone is going to try to build a house on such an odd-shaped piece of land.

People build in strange places—just look at the Israelites in Exodus 35. They were getting ready for a major building project—in the middle of a desert! I have been through a major building project, and it was challenging even in the midst of a city where building materials were readily available. Through Moses, God tasked the Israelites to build a tabernacle in a place where they could not run to the local Desert Depot to pick up supplies they missed on the first run. Where would all the materials and qualified people come from in a wilderness?

If I were an Israelite during that time, I’m sure I would think of many reasons not to build while wandering in the desert. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to wait until we arrive at the Promised Land? There, we will have an abundance of resources and skilled people. Think of the extra time we will have then, when picking up daily manna will not be on the agenda. Why build a tabernacle while on the move? That means we must move it wherever we go. Besides all of that, we are tired from traveling every day. Where will we find the energy to build such a monument?” Oh yeah, I could find plenty of excuses.

My summary of the situation would be: “We cannot do this now.” Emphatically!

If you are like me, you can find plenty of excuses not to do something—not to build something—especially during a deployment.