“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8
I often hear the phrase “self-made man”—but I believe it is a myth. Nothing about my life or who I have become was accomplished on my own. Every step of my journey has been shaped by people, experiences, and, above all, by God’s hand.
From my earliest memories—my parents, siblings, and childhood moments both painful and joyful—God was forming me. In young adulthood, through coworkers, friends, bosses, successes, and failures, He continued to mold me. Parenthood brought its own trials, joys, and regrets. My daughters shaped me as much as I shaped them. My marriage has been a teacher too, through seasons of love, struggle, and growth.
Looking back, I cannot claim to be “self-made.” I am God-made—refined through every person, every challenge, every blessing, every wound. At 57 years old, I’ve come to understand that this earthly journey is temporary. We are passing through, being prepared for the eternal freedom that awaits us in our Creator.
So I no longer label things as good or bad. They simply are. All of it—the joys and the heartbreaks—are for our sake, and God uses them for a greater purpose. As someone once said, “We must not only walk with God in the summers of life, but also praise Him in the winters.”
Through every season, He remains the Potter, and we remain the clay in His hands.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for shaping me through every season of my life—through people I love, through challenges I resisted, through blessings I sometimes overlooked. Teach me to see Your hand in all things, and to give You praise not only in seasons of joy but also in times of trial. Keep molding me into the person You created me to be, until I am fully Yours.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
