Do Not Rebuild Smaller

Today, as we entered St. Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir, I was struck by the vastness of its sanctuary. It is considered the largest Armenian church in the Middle East.

Our guide told us that in the early 1880s, a fire swept through the sanctuary and left it in ruins. After losing so much, the community had every reason to rebuild something smaller. A modest chapel would have been understandable. They chose otherwise, and by 1883, St. Giragos had risen again—larger than before, with seven altars, five below and two above.

Standing beneath its great basalt columns and looking toward its magnificent altars, I thought about the fires in our lives and how differently we sometimes respond to them.

After being hurt, we rebuild our hearts with lower ceilings. We leave less room for trust. After disappointment, we make smaller plans. After an unanswered prayer, we expect less from God. We tell ourselves that we are simply being careful, but sometimes fear has quietly become the architect of our future.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of God giving His people “a crown of beauty instead of ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). Notice that God begins with the ashes. He meets us in what has been lost and begins His work there.

This is the heart of our Christian faith. The risen Christ still carried the wounds of the Cross, but those wounds no longer spoke only of suffering. They had become signs of victory, mercy, and everlasting love.

Perhaps part of your life lies in ruins today. A relationship has changed. A dream has ended. Illness has interrupted your plans. You may never rebuild exactly what existed before. But God can build something new within you: deeper compassion, wiser faith, greater courage, and a heart with more room for others.

The ashes may explain what happened to you, but they should not become the blueprint for who you will become.

Friends, when it is time to begin again, do not build according to the measurements of your fear. Give God the ashes. Let Him draw the plans. Then gather the stones, trust His grace, and rebuild.

And by the grace of God, do not rebuild smaller.

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