Build It Again: Leadership, Resilience, and the Power of Restoration

Introduction – The Story of Sarah Jane 

Leadership is not just about success; it’s about resilience. It’s about standing over the broken pieces of a vision and deciding to build again. 

Sarah Jane learned this lesson as a child. Raised in the Deep South in the early 1950s, she saw beauty in the simplest things. Though she grew up in a small wooden shanty without electricity or plumbing, to her, it was a home filled with love, warmth, and purpose. 

Years later, when she was given a school project, she used popsicle sticks, twigs, and red dirt to recreate the world she had cherished. But one day, a bully knocked her project to the ground, scattering her hard work into a pile of broken fragments. 

She could have given up. But instead, she chose to build again. 

And this time, it was even better than before. 

Her story is not just one of childhood resilience; it is a lesson in leadership, faith, and perseverance—one that applies to every leader, whether in ministry, business, or education. 

Great Leaders Rebuild After Setbacks 

True leadership is tested not in the absence of challenges but in the response to them. In leadership—whether in faith-based ministries, corporate spaces, or community work—things will fall apart. Projects will fail. Visions will be delayed. Opposition will arise. 

But great leaders do not stay defeated. They rebuild. 

In Genesis 1:1-2, we see a divine example of restoration. The world, once created in beauty, became “formless and void.” But God did not walk away. Instead, He began again, shaping something even more magnificent. 

Whether you are leading a congregation, a company, or a movement, the question is not if setbacks will come—but how you will respond when they do. 

Three Key Lessons for Leaders Who Need to Rebuild 

1. Acknowledge the Setback, But Don’t Stay There 

Sarah Jane could have stood over the wreckage of her project, mourning what was lost. But she chose movement over misery. 

Great leaders acknowledge failure but do not let it define them. They take responsibility, assess what went wrong, and look for the next step forward. 

🔹 Faith Perspective: The Bible is full of leaders who faced devastating losses—Moses, David, Nehemiah—yet they rebuilt, trusting that God wasn’t done with them. 

 🔹 Leadership Application: Whether leading a church, a business, or a team, resilience means shifting from “Why did this happen?” to “What can we do now?” 

2. Use What You Have to Create Something Better 

God didn’t create the world from scratch the second time—He worked with what was already there. He separated light from darkness, divided waters, and formed life from the formless. 

Likewise, Sarah Jane didn’t throw away her materials in frustration. She used the same dirt, twigs, and popsicle sticks, but this time, she built with more wisdom and care. 

🔹 Faith Perspective: God specializes in rebuilding from what looks broken. In Joel 2:25, He promises, “I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.” 

 🔹 Leadership Application: When projects fail, leaders should assess what still has value. What lessons did you learn? What resources do you still have? What relationships can be rebuilt?  

3. Let Opposition Refine, Not Define, You 

Sarah Jane’s project was destroyed by opposition, but she didn’t let the bully have the final say. She allowed the setback to make her stronger, not bitter. 

Great leaders know that every setback carries an opportunity for greater impact. The most influential visionaries in history—both in faith and the secular world—have faced rejection, betrayal, and failure. What set them apart was their refusal to quit. 

🔹 Faith Perspective: Joseph was thrown into a pit, enslaved, and imprisoned, but each setback positioned him closer to his destiny. What seemed like destruction was actually preparation. 

 🔹 Leadership Application: Every leader will encounter critics, obstacles, and failures. The question is whether you allow them to break you or build you. 

Conclusion – Your Leadership Legacy: Build Again 

Whether you are leading in a church, a corporation, or a classroom, your legacy is not measured by how perfect your journey was, but by how persistent you were when things fell apart. 

Like Sarah Jane, like Genesis 1, and like every great leader in history—if it falls, build again. 

🔹 For the faith-based leader: Trust that God is a master rebuilder. What He restores is always greater than what was lost. 

 🔹 For the corporate leader: Every setback is an opportunity to innovate, strengthen, and refine your vision. 

 🔹 For the educational leader: Your greatest impact will come not from a perfect plan but from how you respond when the plan crumbles. 

Whatever has fallen in your leadership journey, know this: you can build again. And this time, it will be even greater.