In the minds of many people, "destiny" suggests a mold that life pours you into and that you can't change. In their minds, destiny is a set fate that cannot be altered. In fact, whether you've thought about it consciously or not, for reasons we've already mentioned, you may be feeling that way right now: trapped, tied down, imprisoned and doomed to a life of mediocrity and failure... or, at least, a life of boredom!
There are keys to unlock those prison doors! The place to start is by getting a better definition of "destiny".
One of Webster's definitions of destiny is "divine decree". Some people might think of "divine decree" as predestination. In that line of thought, a divine being controls the path and the outcome of your life and there is nothing you can do about it. There is a much more helpful and practical way to think of destiny. Your true destiny is to accomplish in every detail the master plan for your life, using each gift and resource at your command for maximum positive impact on the world around you.
These words contain 3 key concepts. Because they are so fundamental and essential, we will elaborate on their significance a little more. These are the underlying assumptions, the starting places, the launching pads of all that I will be writing. You can certainly choose to disagree with these assumptions, but they are my assumptions and a priori arguments, the foundations of the whole paradigm.
Firstly, your destiny can only be understood in terms of making maximum positive impact on the world around you. Your destiny is not defined by what you get but by what you give. The nature of your personal "positive impact" will depend on many unique factors: your personality, your talents and interests, your life circumstances, the culture and time at which you live. But all of us, if we reach our true destiny, will leave behind something good.
There are keys to unlock those prison doors! The place to start is by getting a better definition of "destiny".
One of Webster's definitions of destiny is "divine decree". Some people might think of "divine decree" as predestination. In that line of thought, a divine being controls the path and the outcome of your life and there is nothing you can do about it. There is a much more helpful and practical way to think of destiny. Your true destiny is to accomplish in every detail the master plan for your life, using each gift and resource at your command for maximum positive impact on the world around you.
These words contain 3 key concepts. Because they are so fundamental and essential, we will elaborate on their significance a little more. These are the underlying assumptions, the starting places, the launching pads of all that I will be writing. You can certainly choose to disagree with these assumptions, but they are my assumptions and a priori arguments, the foundations of the whole paradigm.
Firstly, your destiny can only be understood in terms of making maximum positive impact on the world around you. Your destiny is not defined by what you get but by what you give. The nature of your personal "positive impact" will depend on many unique factors: your personality, your talents and interests, your life circumstances, the culture and time at which you live. But all of us, if we reach our true destiny, will leave behind something good.
(Take one "Positive Impact" assessment here: www.bucketbook.com )
What the good thing is that you are destined to leave behind when you depart this earth is the very thing that you need to discover! Legacy and destiny are the same, viewed from different time points. Of course, for the Christian believer, destiny extends ever onward into eternity.
Secondly, every human being has gifts and resources that must be developed and used if they are to fulfill their destiny. By gifts, we refer to inner talents and abilities: your greatest intellectual abilities, physical attributes and personality characteristics. By resources, we refer to the aspects of your external environment over which you have control: the things you own, the money you possess, the artifacts of your life. Everyone has something they can use to make a positive impact on the world around them. However, the crucial point is this: those gifts and resources must be developed and deployed; the mere fact that you have them does not fulfill your destiny. It is using them to their fullest extent for maximum impact that really counts. What are the gifts and resources that you must develop? Again, that is exactly what you are here to discover!
Ultimately, we come to the greatest concept of all: there must be a master plan for your life. No great building was ever built without a blueprint. No great life was ever lived without a master plan. Is it possible to build a fulfilling and successful life without a sense of connection to a master plan?
The prophet Jeremiah in the Bible offered this encouragement for people to seek out for themselves the Master and the master plan for their lives:
"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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29: 11 -13 NIV
So, according to Jeremiah, there is a Master, there is a master plan, and you can find His plan, but not without some prayers, introspection and effort on your part.
What is the next step for you?
No comments:
Post a Comment