"Is My Destiny Always some 'Big Thing' in the Future?"
We now enter the stretch run, the conclusion, of our series “Living Your Life of Destiny.” I sincerely hope that all us as children of the Heavenly Father have earnestly prayed about our destiny or purpose, explored our gifts and strengths, and sought God’s guidance day by day in our unfolding destiny. Today I would like for us to see how our destiny might be directly before our very eyes, yet we are missing it by peering beyond. Again, my goal throughout is to make the theory of destiny become practical. I think the best way to clarify and summarize the entire theme of “destiny” is through “questions and answers.” So here we go.
QUESTION 1: Is my destiny always some “big thing” in the future?
As is common for me, my answer is “yes and no.” Your destiny is both playing out as we speak but likewise continues into the future. My most often repeated phrase during this series is appropriate, “your destiny is unfolding before you day by day.” We are living our destiny NOW. But our destiny is also a journey, and we are not certain how or when it will end.
Let me explain the reason this truth is so important. Many people are forever waiting for some sort of “sign” that will reveal their “end result” or “final destination.” In other words, they want to see the end of the movie first before watching the rest. How many know that watching the end of the movie first ruins the entire film?!
We have but one lifetime to fulfill our destiny. Time marches forward and waits for no man or woman. Granted, God, for several good and logical reasons, does seem to supply more information about certain tasks or callings to particular individuals. I have mentioned a couple of those reasons in this series. However, the vast majority of us are led day by day. In other words, each day is one essential “clip” of the entire movie.
The decisions we make, the relationships we either form or nurture, the time we spend with God, the tasks we complete, the words we speak, the plans we make, the priorities we establish, and the thoughts we think each new day are vital in fulfilling our destiny…how we treat our co-workers…how we greet our family after a hard day’s work…how we make time for our kids…how we spend our money…how we find pleasure…how we become involved in church…how we treat the cashier…how much effort we put into the day’s demands…how we forgive, and on and on it goes.
You know, God never told me, “Joey, you are going to be a pastor in West Frankfort in the year 2016 and this and this and that and that are going to happen.” I was not privy to that information. I guess the Bishop was…but not me (lol).
I did what I knew to do as a Christian. I began to develop in my relationship with Christ, to hear God’s voice, to follow His Divine guidance, and to spend each day living for Him. I now find myself at Trinity Church in West Frankfort. Do I believe this is a part of the fulfillment of my destiny? Definitely, without doubt. And it does not matter if I experience huge successes in ministry or fail miserably (or somewhere in between). It remains a part of my destiny.