STARTING OVER WHEN THE FOUNDATION IS FAULTY

By P. Michael. 

 

"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" – Psalm 11:3

There is a pain that goes beyond physical wounds — it is the pain of watching something you have poured your whole life into collapse before your eyes. Sometimes it is a marriage, sometimes a business, sometimes a relationship, sometimes even a political pursuit or ministry. And yet, as painful as it may be, there are seasons when God Himself allows certain things to fall apart — not because He hates you, but because the foundation they stand on is faulty.

David understood this reality. After his sin with Bathsheba, he fasted and prayed for the life of their child (2 Samuel 12:16–18). He pleaded with God with tears, but the child still died. Why? Because God will not allow a wrong foundation to continue to grow, even if the structure looks promising.

Some of us are like farmers who have planted in poisoned soil. No matter how much water, sunlight, or fertilizer you add, the crop will never yield a healthy harvest. Jesus Himself said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots" (Matthew 15:13).

I recall the story of a man in my community who married a woman, and they had a child. But the home was a war zone — constant quarrels, destruction of property, and bitter words filled the atmosphere. The man tried everything humanly possible to make the marriage work, yet the more he tried, the more his life became stagnant. He had money coming in, but nothing to show for it.

One day, after yet another fight, the wife packed her things and left with their daughter. Unlike before, the man did not go to beg her to return. One or two years later, he met another woman — a God-fearing woman — and his life turned around completely. They now have a peaceful home, three children, a house of their own, and are doing well. Meanwhile, the first wife, after wandering from one man to another, lost her value in the eyes of those men and never remarried.

This is the hard truth: If the foundation is wrong, the future will be shaky. A faulty foundation in marriage, business, ministry, or even politics will not sustain the weight of your destiny. You can decorate the walls, put gold on the doors, and plant flowers around it — but when the storms come, the building will fall.

Jesus warned about this in Matthew 7:24–27. He spoke of two builders: one who built on rock, and another who built on sand. The storms and winds came to both, but only the house on the rock stood firm.

Sometimes, “starting over” feels like death — but it is actually the beginning of life. Abraham had to leave his father’s house and start afresh before God made him a great nation (Genesis 12:1–4). Naomi returned to Bethlehem empty-handed, but that reset led to the story of Ruth and the lineage of King David (Ruth 1:20–22).

Do not let the weight of your past investment trap you in a prison of pain. If you have done all you can — prayed, worked, endured — and yet all you see is shame, reproach, and stagnation, it may be a sign that God is saying, “My child, let it go. Start again, but this time, build with Me.”

📖 Scriptures to Hold On To:

• Psalm 127:1 – “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”
• Isaiah 43:19 – “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?”
• Job 8:7 – “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”

Beloved, it is better to endure the pain of starting over than to spend your life trying to keep alive what God has already sentenced to death.

Pst Michael Abu, is a social activist, theologian, policy political/political analyst, and blogger from Edo State.