“Whatever I am today for God is largely a result of people who invested in my life” (Michael Catt).

I think that’s the absolute truth. I am the sum total of so many people who have touched my life. It could be family that I have known for all my life or people I only knew for a short amount of time. But I am who I am because of every single one of them.

I wish I could personally thank each and every one. Some I can, but there are others that I won’t get a chance to tell until heaven. Also, the list is ridiculously long and it would take me forever to get through.

That’s how God shapes us to a large extent. He sends people into your life — some for a lifetime, some for a few moments. But each one plays a part in making and shaping you into the person God designed and envisioned you to be.

A good lesson is to appreciate these people and be thankful for the time you had with each one. I can’t tell you how often I will catch myself saying something that immediately makes me think of someone I knew back when. Or maybe I’ll dip my Chick-fil-A waffle fries in their barbecue sauce and think of a friend from college. Or I’ll see my email address that came from a nickname someone gave me at college.

The list goes on. Every day, God is shaping and molding us by the people He sends into our lives. Each one has a part and a purpose. Each one leaves us a little different than before. And each one leaves a set of footprints in our hearts, and we are never the same.