Rebuilding… how intimidating does that sound?
The word itself feels heavy. I know for me, the idea once felt so crippling that I would shut down at the thought of it.
I want to be a hundred percent honest—as someone who is currently picking up the pieces of their life, you have to muster up the courage to show up daily.
What does that mean, and what does that look like?
Well… let’s talk about it.
In the Beginning…
This is the stage where you have a blank canvas. That may look different for different individuals. For some, it may be divorce or financial devastation.
For me, 2025 was a very difficult year. I lost my home and my job, along with several other things that created great challenges. So believe me, I understand the feeling. Even if our circumstances differ, rebuilding is something we can both relate to.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but this season has been one where I’ve felt tender and exposed. Everything rises to the surface, and you can feel the weight of its vulnerability.
This is where thoughts like, “Am I capable?” or “Why can’t I get a grip on my life?” begin to seep in. It becomes very easy to feel like a failure and side with these pessimistic thoughts.
For us to succeed, this season requires deep intentionality in our thought life, or we risk falling into cycles of emotional anguish.
I knew this, so I began by cultivating victory through my words first.
“Rodas, what do you mean—and what did that look like for you?”
Good question.
What that looked like—and continues to look like—is sitting with myself in my pain, allowing myself to feel it, but here’s the challenge most people miss: choosing, with intention, to speak life into my situation.
This is more than just affirmations.
It’s the discipline of finding light—even in the darkest moments.
I started practicing this 4–5 years ago, and what I’ve learned is this: there is always light in the midst of darkness if you choose to focus on it.
Let’s look at this from a spiritual standpoint.
Genesis 1:1–2 tells us that in the beginning, the earth was formless, empty, and dark. But when you study the passage, you see that God used His words—it was in His nature.
In Genesis 1:3, we see the first words spoken by God:
“Let there be light.”
From this, we learn two things:
1. The ability to speak life into a formless space
2. That light can be drawn into dark places
And what’s even more powerful—we are created in His image (Genesis 1:26–27). That means we carry that same nature.
How encouraging is that?
Additionally, meditating on verses like 1 John 4:4 empowers you to show up with courage, rooted in the identity that the Spirit within you is greater than any circumstance before you.
In the Middle…
Now that we’ve laid the foundation through intentional thought, let’s talk about the work of rebuilding.
I’ve tried to build in the past, but found myself running in place—busy, but not productive. Can you relate?
I realized that before I could lay my bricks, I needed wisdom and understanding.
So my prayers shifted from:
“Lord, give me A to Z”
to
“Lord, give me the wisdom and understanding I need to rebuild my life.”
As I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve learned that God is in the business of restoration—but He invites us to be co-laborers with Him.
This helped me understand that if I asked God for strength, He would meet me with oppositions to sharpen it in me.
With that in mind, I redirected my energy.
Instead of waiting for God to save me, I tightened my armor and stepped onto the battlefield—trusting that He was fighting with me, not instead of me.
So what has this looked like in my life?
A lot of obedience. And a deepened faith.
I’ve learned to act on the faith planted within me—trusting that as I delight myself in Him, He would fulfill the desires in my heart (Psalm 37:4).
Right now, that looks like stepping into spaces where I once felt unqualified—trusting that God has equipped me for every good work (Hebrews 13:20–21).
I once heard it like this:
Faith is heaven’s currency.
Stepping out in faith aligns us with God’s favor (Hebrews 11:6). So I look for every opportunity to sow seeds of faith, trusting they will produce fruit.
Additionally, I believe that before you build anything, you need a blueprint—and that blueprint is your standard.
For example, this could look like creating a budget with clear spending limits to safeguard your finances as you work toward your goals.
While this may vary from person to person, the principle remains the same:
Standards safeguard what you’re building.
Think about building a house. There are codes and standards established at the foundation to ensure safety, durability, and consistency.
The same applies to our lives.
We must approach our rebuilding with that same level of intentionality—before and during the process.
Personally, as I’ve been rebuilding my relationships—especially friendships—I’ve realized the importance of standards.
My standard is to cultivate relationships that are:
- Safe
- Soothing
- Secure
- And make me feel seen
These standards increase the likelihood that my relationships would reflect those qualities.
Without standards, I lack a framework—making it far more likely to entertain relationships that could be harmful.
You can see how applying standards brings clarity, focus, and direction to what you’re building.
So take a moment to reflect:
Where can you apply standards to bring more balance and alignment into your life?
And where can you become more active in partnering with God in this rebuilding season?
In the End…
If you’ve made it this far, I want to encourage you:
God’s hand is on your life—as long as you continue to seek Him in the process.
Sometimes, we try to rebuild without God, only to find ourselves burned out.
But involving Him changes everything.
When we lean on our own understanding, we operate from limitations. But when we lean on His understanding, we tap into divine wisdom—the same wisdom that formed the foundations of the earth (Proverbs 3:19–20).
But this requires humility.
As we posture ourselves to be led by the power working within us, we begin to slowly—but surely—rebuild our lives.
And in that process, something beautiful happens.
We develop an unshakable confidence.
Not because everything is perfect—but because we’ve learned how to follow through, trust God, and stay aligned with His voice as He orders our steps.
And one day, you’ll look up and realize…
You didn’t just survive what broke you—
you rebuilt something stronger.
