Breathe Again: The Makings of Me

In 2006, a female R&B artist released an album titled The Makings of Me. She felt like she had enough adult-like experiences to sing from a much more personal place than she had on her first couple of albums. The album was about the good and the bad situations that brought her to where she was.

And I believe we, too, have experienced some difficult moments that have contributed to the makings of us.

Losing yourself while caring for everyone else. Being the mother, wife, leader, daughter, friend, or caregiver everyone depends on while privately feeling depleted. Heartbreak and betrayal. Friendship wounds. Family rejection. Church hurt.

Abandonment. Discovering someone wasn’t who you believed they were.

Grief. Losing a parent, child, spouse, friendship, relationship, dream, opportunity—or even grieving the version of life you thought you would have.

Starting over. Being overlooked. Feeling inadequate. Carrying private battles publicly. Outgrowing people and places. Experiencing disappointment with God. Feeling the pressure to always be strong.

And then there is identity after survival—reaching the other side of something difficult and realizing, “I survived it, but now I have to figure out who I am after it.”

Truth be told, many of us have been experiencing situations far longer than we would like to admit.

When Your Bones Feel Dry

In Ezekiel 37:11–14, God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel about the condition of His people.

They said:

“Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!”

Their bones were not literally dry. It was a metaphor—a figure of speech. What they were dealing with was complex, so God used bones—familiar, physical objects they could understand—to give language to what they were experiencing.

Sometimes you don't have the language to describe the depth of the despair, the exhaustion, or the total loss of hope you are feeling.

Sometimes all you know is, I'm tired. I'm disappointed. I'm empty. I don't feel like myself anymore.

And if I can be honest, when life is happening, we don't always draw near to God. Truth be told, silently, many of us pull away from God. But God reminded Israel of something that I believe He is still reminding His daughters today:

He is the Lord God.

He has supreme power. He is Majestic. He is the sovereign Creator. He is Master and Ruler. He has total authority. God was revealing Himself as a covenant keeper.

Daughter, look and see what the Lord has done and what He is about to do in your heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 says:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.”

All of what you have experienced may not make sense right now, but God can begin to open your eyes to perceive the thing He has been doing all along.

What You Can't Do, God Can

God says in Ezekiel 37, “O My people.” There is a personal connection there. They were His people. We are His people. His daughters. He claims us as His own. God wants us to return to His truth and His safety.

Then God says something powerful: “I will open your graves.” Think about that for a moment. You cannot open your own grave.

There are some places you cannot pull yourself out of. There are some things that positive thinking, your degree, your title, your strength, your ideas, your connections, and even your own determination cannot fix. What we can't do, God can do.

And here is another revelation: You are not so deep in despair that God can't reach down and grab you.

Psalm 139:8 reminds us that even if we make our bed in the depths, God is there.

Maybe this season had to happen this way. I know you may be saying, “But why? Why me?”

This season was personal. I know it was painful. But maybe it wasn't about what you know or who you know. It wasn't about your degree. Your title. Your strength. Your ideas. Your way. It wasn't about how witty you are, how smart you are, or even how long you have been with Christ.

Maybe it was about God allowing you to come to the end of yourself.

To finally say out loud: “My bones are dry. My hope is lost. I feel cut off.”

One of the greatest things we can ever do as Christians is confess our spiritual condition to God. That's when He steps in.

1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that after we have suffered for a little while, God Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.

There Is No Place Like Home

By verse 14, God promises His people that He will put His Spirit in them, they will live, and He will place them in their own land.

There is no place like home.

Israel needed to return to their homeland. It was where they had been settled before exile. The land was not simply where they lived—it was their God-given home.

But how does that apply to us today?

We are not waiting to return to the land of Israel. We belong to Christ.

1 Peter 2 calls us a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God's special possession.

And sometimes the difficult seasons of life have a way of bringing us back to that truth.

The Making of You

The trials and hardships were not random. They are tools God has used to refine your faith and build your character.

The making of you is a lifelong process.

The heartbreak.

The disappointment.

The grief.

The starting over.

The moments when you felt overlooked.

The seasons when you carried private battles while publicly smiling.

The times you questioned God.

The moments you didn't know who you were anymore.

God can use even the darkest moments to return us to Him, restore us to Him, and reconnect us to Him. Maybe that's what this season was all about. It brought you HOME. Not necessarily to a physical place. But to a deeper reliance on God.

And maybe when you look back at everything you've survived, everything you've learned, everything God has delivered you from, and everything He is still healing within you, you'll realize:

It was all part of the makings of me.