I stumbled on the interview of a celebrity on TV the other day. As she spoke, she emphasized that she was self-made; she worked on herself to become what she is. While it is understandable to say that you worked on yourself, it is not the complete truth to say that you are self-made.
Friend, learn to appreciate other people’s contributions in your life. Nobody is self-made. We are all God-made and man-made. God would always use the instrumentality of men to shape and make people. While it is important to take personal responsibility for your life, you need to realize that God has positioned people in and around your life to contribute significantly to your becoming.
Don’t be too proud to acknowledge people’s contributions in your life (1 Corinthians 4:7). We all need to realize that we would not have been where we are today if not for the contributions of our parents.
Why are you suddenly posturing as though you jumped down from Heaven with no inputs from parents, pastors, friends, and others? Why are you not proud to identify with your parents and upbringing? Your parents and family members may not look big and bogus, but their contributions have brought you thus far. God did not make a mistake to pass you through that channel (Matthew 15:4-6).
Don’t be naive as to reject help from people. Even though God is our ultimate help and helper, He would always use people as channels of His help. We are all products of Graces. God deliberately packages what we need in the hands of men so we won’t live an independent life. Learn to recognize such men and their contributions.
Joshua tapped wisdom from Moses (Deuteronomy 34:9). Elijah imparted Elisha (2 Kings 3:11-12). The Grace on Jesus rubbed off on the disciples (Acts 4:13). John introduced Jesus into ministry (John 1:26-37). My own pastor made a huge contribution to who I am today. His teachings and pastoral contributions were a major factor in my ministerial development. I am not self-made, and neither are you.
‘Demola Awoyele,
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria