What is Destiny?

Is there something inside you that feels like it is pulling you toward a goal? Sort of like a nagging feeling that vies for your attention?

The way I feel it is almost annoying, disturbing. It causes me unrest. Like there is something more I need to do. Something calling me forward. Like the universe is asking more of me.

What is it I need to do? What drives us to achieve? Is it to fulfill what is thought of as our destiny?

Our future stretches out before us into the unknown. What guides us in the choices we make? Do you ever wonder if you had chosen to go a different way what might have been altered in your life?

There’s no going back, that’s for certain. So we look to the future with hope. Each part of our lives is a new chapter, and we have the ability to write it.

But is any of it predestined? Are there forces that somehow determine the outcome?

We are creatures of free will. Our Maker saw to it that we would have the drive inside each of us to choose our own path. Nothing says that once we are on a certain route that we can’t veer off to another destination. We can, at any time, change our direction and follow a new course.

So what is our destiny? It would be comforting for our journey to trust that we have the protection and care of providence on our side. Either through nature or Divine intervention, we could know that we are cared for as we step into our future.

Do you believe in kismet - the idea that our lives are controlled by fate? Fate would dictate that events in our life are predetermined and out of our control. Or perhaps fate is the guiding force that leads us in our decision-making.

What about God’s will for our lives? Could this be the unseen force that draws us to reach further, to want to know Him and use the talents and gifts He has given us for His glory?

Whether we believe in fortune or chance, the truth is we don’t know what guides us in the choices we make in our lives. Many of us feel comfort through prayer. When a difficult decision looms, and we are uncertain of our path, we pray to God for guidance. It is our hope that God will show us the way we are to go.

Life is all about choices. Each of us has the power to choose the path we will follow. Right or wrong. It is our free will. But it would do us well to draw on whatever energies we feel may guide us in making the choices that feel right for us. Emotions can clog our perception. It is best to take our time in seeking the pathway for our lives. Pray for guidance. And trust your instincts.

To live a life fulfilled, we need to satisfy the desires of our heart. Master your own destiny. But do it with guidance from a higher power.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow." Psalm 25:4 

Trust is the Name of the Game

Right around the curve in the road we see all the possibilities. All of our tomorrows are opened up before us. We have only to choose the path we’re on, and trust that the One who leads us will take us where we need to go.

There was a time when I thought I could do this all by myself. I fumbled and fought and fell down and wondered why I was always struggling.  At that time I didn’t believe in a higher power to guide me. I thought I could do it on my own.

I still struggle, and I still fall down. Life is, and always will be, difficult. What has changed is the way I see the fight. I’m no longer in this alone. God is my constant companion. I turn to Him when I am weary, and rest my head on his heart when I can’t see that way to go forward anymore.

I praise Him and sing to Him for all that is good; for love and blessings, for sunshine and shadows, for life and for breath. I thank Him for the exquisite joy of living, for the privilege of walking hand in hand with my Maker as I tackle all of life’s joys and challenges.

There is something different in the way I live my life now, and that difference is trust. I have found that trusting in God gives me the freedom to believe in the possibilities. No matter what happens, I know God is with me, and He has my best interest at heart.

It has taken a very long time to realize I don’t need to be in control; that by trusting in God I can surrender my tightly-held belief that only I can make this life happen the way I want it to.

There are many times when the only thing I can do is trust in God. When I am helpless in my fear or in my inability to see beyond my emotions, I trust in Him to see clearly for me. I know God will never leave me, and His plan for me will take me through the valleys and back up onto the mountaintop.

Trust is something, I have found, that needs to be nurtured one day at a time. It is the nature of the human spirit to want to strive to be in control of our own lives. The true pathway to peace is to relinquish control to God, realizing we really don’t control our own destiny as much as we would like to think we do.

There is a peace in letting go of this control. Trusting God with what lies ahead makes for smooth sailing no matter how rough the waters. My prayer for many months has been, “All that I am, and all that I am meant to be, let it be in your will for me.” 

My prayer has been to allow God to work through me to help me become the woman He has meant for me to be. Instead of striving for perfection, or trying on my own to always fight the good fight, I relinquish control of my destiny to the One who held it all along. My future has never felt more sure, even though nothing in life is certain. The constant in my life is the faith I have that God will lead me where He wants me to go.

"'For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"   Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

The Dawning of the Old Year - Time to Let Go

There have been year's end when I couldn’t wait for the new one to begin. Recent years, where so much begged to be left behind and a new year seemed the perfect opportunity to begin again. Joy and anticipation filled me with hope that I would begin anew, leaving the pain of past days behind me like closing a door and walking away.

I am blessed with a perpetually optimistic approach to life. My glass is usually half to almost full. So when these days, like today, dawn with clarity but less than optimistic ideals, I wonder what happened to deflate my balloon.

It is a reality that all days are not sunshine and roses, and the gloom of yesterday’s rain left me in a fog that confined me to warm covers of my room. In the middle of the night, awoken by my old, hungry cat (this is a nightly routine), looking out into the night sky I saw the brightest of stars right outside my window.

Thinking it was merely a reflection from some light inside, a closer look revealed that the clouds had indeed cleared and the stars were so close I could reach out to touch them, or so it seemed. Orion loomed immense on the western horizon, his feet almost standing in the level of the marsh. It was so beautiful I was tempted to don my winter coat and hat and go for a walk at 3 a.m. But that’s crazy talk in December in Wisconsin, even with a winter as mild as ours has been so far.

After hours of tossing and turning, sleep found me again. And now it is the morning of the last day of this year. I am not sad, but neither am I filled with anticipation at what lies ahead. Out with the old, and in with the new. Promises to myself to eat better, exercise daily, finally clean off my desk… these are nothing new and hold no real strength for diving into a new year with hope.

Why do I not feel that boost of energy, of anticipation? What do I need to jump start my new year with a feeling of hope, anticipation and joy?

Perhaps this is how others feel; people who do not ride on the highs and the lows of life like I do, but who keep a more steady flow in their lives. It isn’t a bad feeling, it just is not me.

Ah, the clouds are clearing and the sun slants across the grass still showing green at year’s end. The wind is low, and the temperature beckons a walk outside to breathe and to pray. As always, I will put my hope in the One who has a plan that I cannot see. I will trust that His love will guide me through all of my days and nights to come. And I know I will feel joy, love, hope, pain and suffering in this year. That is life. But I will hold tight to the love that never fails, never changes, and is always new for me each day – the love of my Savior.

  

Though I live on the ebb and flow of my emotions, the one constant I have come to know is the steadfast love of God in my life. I am thankful for this buoy to hold onto when I am floundering in vast seas of uncertainty. He keeps me afloat, and presses me onward to fight the good fight. I’m smiling now, the sun grows stronger and I realize my strength comes from beyond this earthly place. Hold onto hope. The Light is your beacon, too. He will guide you on the path of your future. Big smiles now. I’m going outside to greet the day.

Here are some of my favorite Bible verses to bring us hope for the new year and beyond:

           

God has a good plan for you …   “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

God is always faithful …   “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23

God is always the same …   “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

God’s love endures ….   “For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”   Psalm 100:5

                “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107


All verses taken from the New Living Translation