dramoor:

“Every man of himself is so insignificant and
helpless that he receives everything necessary to support his existence,
not from himself, but from without; he himself is nothing. And as his
body is supported by air, food, and drink, so his soul is supported by
prayer, by reading God’s Word, and by the communion of the Holy
Mysteries.”

~St. John of Kronstadt

What power do I have to be self-sustaining? I do not make myself breathe. I do not cause my heart to beat. When I sleep I cannot ensure I will wake. When awake I cannot save myself from suffering and final death.

I am coddled, nursed, enlivened by all that I cannot control. Not one hair can I turn back from gray not one extra day added to my lot.

Who am I? Does the world really revolve around me? Am I truly the master of my life? I am a master of nothing. Champion of my own delusion. An impotent hero.

Only God designs. Only God creates. Only God sustains. And I am not God.