To do for yourself the best that you have it in you to do — by Frederick Buechner

To do for yourself the best that you have it in you to do —
to grit your teeth and clench your fists
in order to survive the world
at its harshest and worst—
is by that very act,
to be unable to let something be done
for you and in you
that is more wonderful still.
The trouble with stealing yourself
against the harshness of reality
is that the same steel that secures your life
against being destroyed
secures your life also
against being opened up
and transformed by the holy power
that life itself comes from.
You can survive on your own.
You can grow strong on your own.
You can prevail on your own.
But you cannot become human on your own.