The Tower We Keep Building
An ancient story, concerning the tower of Babel reveals our connection to modern ambition.
Reflections on Genesis 11:1–9
At one point in human history, Scripture tells us that all people spoke one language. Perhaps there were dialects within each clan, but there was a shared means of communication that united everyone (Genesis 10:5 hints at this as well). As humans spread out, they discovered technology, learned to shape raw materials, and began to build cities—places to live, work, and leave a mark.
Then we reach Genesis 11 and the Tower of Babel. At first glance, the story is confusing. What exactly did these people do wrong? It almost feels like God is reacting out of insecurity. Humanity was unified. They were working together, building something magnificent that reached toward the heavens. Isn’t that a good thing?
Why would God want to break that up?
Rethinking the Story
Maybe there’s another way to read Genesis 11. Not as a warning against human innovation or collaboration, but as a mirror to our own lives. I think about the business I built. The family and the life I shaped. And I see the same pattern.
We begin with good intentions—dreams of building something meaningful. We reach for the heavens, but often that reaching isn’t fueled by worship or wonder. It’s fueled by dissatisfaction. We strive for more, not because we are grateful for what we’ve been given, but because what we have never feels like enough.
And we don’t even realize we’re doing it.
Our ambitions feel normal. Even noble. And often we interpret success as God’s blessing. But what if some of the roadblocks, the confusion, and the disconnection we experience are actually God’s mercy—his way of exposing the deeper motivations behind our striving?
The Bricks We Make
There’s a powerful detail in Genesis 11: the people made their own bricks. They didn’t use stone—what God had provided—they manufactured something instead. It’s a subtle but profound image.
We do the same.
We shape our lives out of what we can control. What we can fabricate. We ignore what God offers because it doesn’t seem to suit our goals. Our self-made bricks feel more predictable. More scalable.
And over time, our lives become monuments to our achievements. But with every layer we stack, we lose something vital. Our egos grow, and connection shrinks. We no longer need God to provide for us. Our need for each other gets muted. We become self-sufficient—and lonely.
A Life of Bigger and Better
Eventually, we serve a different god. Not the one who walks with us in the cool of the day, but the one who demands more: Bigger. Better. Faster. Shinier.
We sacrifice connectedness to the god of progress.
We keep building. Our way. With our stuff. In communities where the structures are neat, the schedules are full, and the souls are starved. And all the while, God waits. Patiently. Lovingly. Waiting for us to realize that our towers never quite reach the heavens.
Because maybe they were never meant to.
So What’s the Answer?
How should we live then? How do we keep our ambition, our will, in line with God’s will?
He made us in His image—so ambition can’t be a bad thing, right? So how do we make sure that our modern ambition is not causing us to build another tower of babel?
Honestly, I wish I had a clear, simple answer. But maybe that’s the answer—or at least part of it. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. The way forward requires deep work. A journey. One that looks different for each of us.
I started, built, and eventually sold a company. I didn’t grow it to the size of Apple. I’m not Steve Jobs. Does that make me a failure?
Of course not.
My story was never meant to be his story. And your story isn’t meant to be mine. Each of us is invited to discover the unique path where we can best serve God with the talents, opportunities, and limitations we’ve been given.
But that takes work. Honest work. The kind that exposes your motivations and reshapes your desires.
Jesus asked:
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
— Mark 8:36
And He added:
“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
— Matthew 10:39
So how do you lose your life?
Again—no formula. No checklist. It’s a question only you can answer through a long obedience in the same direction. But I believe the first footsteps are always taken in one direction:
Following Christ.