but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
— Romans 5:8

Rebuilding something can be very difficult. Often, the task of rebuilding isn’t as painful as the reality that something that once was no longer exists, and must be rebuilt. I can remember building things with Lincoln Logs when I was a little kid. I would tirelessly work to make every part of my creation as perfect as possible. I spent time thinking through the places where doors would need to go and where window openings would prove to be beneficial. Once I completed my project, I would put things around it to protect it from those who wished to destroy it, like my dog and my brother. Unfortunately, the walls I built around it were rarely strong enough to provide the level of security needed, and my brother would come in and break it into hundreds of pieces. I remember sitting on the floor while staring at the pieces, wondering if it could ever be rebuilt, and if it was even worth the effort to try.

Have you been there? As an adult, I can easily see how manageable it is to rebuild a Lincoln Log house, but it seems much more difficult when your life has been shattered by the death of a loved one, a failed marriage, a rebellious child, a series of terrible financial decisions or an addiction that has robbed you of your dignity. When these broken parts of our life speak too loudly into our spirit, we begin to believe that we are too broken to be rebuilt. We begin to believe that our lives are just not worth the effort. We begin to believe the lies of Satan.

God, while we were still sinners, sent Christ to take on the punishment that you and I deserve for our sinful brokenness (Romans 5:8). In Haggai’s day, people had to go to the temple to be in the presence of God. When Jesus left the throne room of heaven to dwell among us, he — the temple —came to us. For those in Christ Jesus, we are now the temple, and our responsibility is to now proclaim the redemptive work that God has already accomplished to a world that desperately needs to hear it.

What does all of that mean to you if today you feel destroyed by the circumstances that surround you? Long before you fell apart, God had already initiated a rebuild of you life. The heavy lifting has already been done from an eternal perspective. The best news? He looked at the carnage that is your life right now and went to the cross anyway, declaring once and for all: you are worth it.

Trust God today with the rebuilding of your life. It won’t be easy. At times, it’ll be difficult. But, in the end, it will be worth it.