A Christian Reflection by Pranaykumar Singam
There is something deeply revealing about the way people act when they are about to leave a place.
Some walk away quietly, carrying memories in their hearts.
Others leave a mark of destruction—breaking what they once used, shattering what once sheltered them.
I’ve seen this happen firsthand.
During my college years, a few students, frustrated with the administration, damaged classroom furniture and walls just before graduation. Years later, I saw something similar when employees, upset over salary cuts, vandalized their own workplace. It left me wondering — why do we destroy what once served us?
We often see this around us in India: when students vandalize their own colleges after results are announced, when employees damage office property after resigning, or when crowds in frustration destroy public buses and buildings during protests. To the outside eye, it looks like mischief, rebellion, or revenge. But beneath the noise lies a heart that is restless, wounded, and searching for meaning.
“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” — Isaiah 48:22
When we lose connection with the Source of peace, we start breaking things around us because we feel broken within.
Anger, disappointment, and injustice swirl inside us, and destruction becomes a way to feel control — if only for a moment.
But the moment passes, and the emptiness remains.
I’ve learned that destruction rarely brings relief; only surrender does.
Christ came not to destroy but to restore.
He took what was shattered — humanity itself — and rebuilt it through love.
He invites us to do the same.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22–23
The world teaches us to vent frustration;
Jesus teaches us to surrender it.
He replaces the impulse to destroy with the desire to rebuild.
He turns chaos into calm, resentment into rest, and anger into action — the kind that heals rather than harms.
Reflect:
- Have you ever acted out of frustration and later regretted it?
- What would it look like to surrender that emotion to God before reacting?
- How can you become a restorer in places where others have caused damage?
When you see others breaking what they leave behind — whether it’s a classroom, an office, or a relationship — let it remind you of your calling:
to build where others have broken,
to speak peace where others shout in anger,
to love where others have given up.
For the child of God is not known by what he breaks,
but by what he heals.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” — Matthew 5:9
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Your Call to Action:
Before reacting in anger, pause and pray.
Ask, “Lord, what would You have me build instead?”
If someone around you is hurting, be the one who listens, prays, and gently restores.
Remember — healing begins wherever you choose peace over pride.
Scalpel and Scripture 