REBUILDING WHAT YOU DIDN'T BREAK

May  31, 2026

 

 

Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.  Nehemiah 1: 2-4 ‭NLT‬‬

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Recently, a client emailed and asked me to fix a glitch on their website. What stood out to me was this line in the email: “I know this is not your fault. The last person didn't do it correctly.” As I read the email, I laughed because this isn’t unusual for me. As a Project Manager and Consultant, I’m often called to fix problems I didn’t create, whether it’s a website, a system, or a broken process. While fixing the website glitch, I realized this isn’t just true in business, but also in life.

 

Have you ever been asked to fix something you didn’t break? Maybe it’s a damaged relationship, a family issue, a struggling workplace, or a problem you inherited rather than created. It’s easy to ask, “Why should I have to deal with this?” That question reminded me of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem’s walls were destroyed, he was heartbroken. He wasn’t responsible for the damage, yet he felt called to help rebuild.

 

Nehemiah understood an important truth: sometimes God burdens your heart with a problem not because you caused it, but because He wants you to be part of the solution. God had strategically positioned Nehemiah as the king’s cupbearer, and when it was time to rebuild, he already had the favor, access, and resources he needed. However, he had to make the choice to either obey God or overlook the situation. 

 

The same can be true for us. Often, the position, influence, or opportunities God gives us are connected to a greater purpose. That doesn’t mean we’re responsible for every problem. Wisdom and boundaries matter, but when God calls you to rebuild something, obedience matters too.

 

The damage may not have been your fault and the problem may not have started with you, but if God has called you to rebuild it, you have the same choice as Nehemiah: obey or overlook. 

 

The question isn’t whether you broke it, but whether you’re willing to answer the call to rebuild it.