Destined to be

We’ve all thought about our destiny. Some call it fate. Some call it future. But destiny has a special place in my heart because it means I have a destination. I am positioning myself to head towards that place. I might not have a full picture of what that place looks like yet but I have a pretty good idea on what it might involve. Have you ever thought about the fact that each person on this earth, past, present or future, has a unique destiny? Aside from those lives that end in unfortunate tragedies, can you name two very successful people that you consider to have fulfilled their life’s calling to have ended up at the same place? It cannot be done! Amazing right?! Anyone who was who they were meant to be ended up leaving a marked history for the rest of us. Which leads me to you.

You are created to be you. There is no one else like you and there never will be. You are the only you that God has ever created. You are the answer to a problem that the world so direly needs. You are here for a reason and there has never been such a time like this that God would release you here right now. As Leif Hetland once said, “Be you. Everyone else is taken”. How much has the world told you who you have to be? How many people live in their lives today doing what they don’t want to be doing? How many people go to work wishing they were somewhere else? Money? Power? Those things are conditionals. They are conditioned to bring and indicate you to the place that you need to be. Knowing who you are will help you know where you are meant to be going. Many people ask small children, what do you want to be when you grow up? How come we never ask, what are you passionate about now? Isn’t this a better condition for what they will be? Let’s stop confusing the “doing” for the “being”. It is from our very being that we release a special part of God that has been uniquely placed within us.

Why do we glorify some positions over others? No matter what you are doing, it matters that you can do it with joy. Joy is not just an emotional expression but an overflow of who you truly are. You cannot give what you don’t have. So why do we burn ourselves out on what we are not meant to give? What would the world look like right now if each and every one of us was doing exactly what we were meant to do?

William Preston says, “Don’t go anywhere with your gifting that your character can’t keep you”. How many of us are appalled by what the media picks up on Hollywood celebrities? How quick are we to make judgments about them? However, how many of us are willing to pray for each of them so that they are built up in character so they can withstand the pressures of media, money, power and influence? How many of us think we will do better? There are times and seasons for each of the things that we walk through. But wherever you are, make sure you are meant to be there. If you are meant to be there, make sure you are getting everything you are meant to get. Each moment is an act of equipping but each moment can also be enjoyed. Aren’t you most enjoyable when you are being the real you? I know all of us want to skip some steps to get to the places that we want to go. I know it seems daunting to drop everything to chase after our dreams. But “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Each of you has a unique dream in each of you that you are meant to fulfill. Your destiny is yours and only you can capture it. You are destined to do so. So do the world and especially you a favor and go fulfill who you are in this world! Go be you! The world has been waiting for you to be revealed.

“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (Romans 8:19, NIV)

First Impressions

They’re important. There are those cases where upon first glance you have already shared the decision to be in each other’s lives forever. There are also those unfortunate cases that you want to run away from. Then, there’s everything in between. Depending on who you are and what is the pending desire of your heart, your first impression will vary. If you’re a consultant, you’ll see the potential of the people and the surrounding environment. If you’re a musician, you’ll be hearing the tones of the life around you. How crazy is it that you’ll never have the same first impression twice? I know that sounds like a very trivial observation. However, if you think about it, even if you are determined to fill your entire life to always have a first impression of something, someone or someplace, you will still run out of time before experiences. Amazing!

If you’d see me in person, I would probably invade your personal bubble rather quickly and give you a hug and you’d absolutely love it, feeling warm and loved all over. However, in this place, I’ll invite you in mine. It’s been such a journey and I’m not sure I have the words to properly express the glorious road that I’ve been on. A little over a year and a half ago, I started to test the waters in living out the very things that I had dreamed of as a child. When I whetted my appetite, I simply decided I wasn’t satisfied with a taste. I needed way more. Now, I may not have the perfect job and the cute little apartment but I couldn’t be happier. Instead of saying “I’ll get to do that one day”, I get to live out that “one day” each day at a time. These one days have taken me to places like Argentina, Brazil and Peru and will be taking me to Tanzania and back to Brazil. They have also allowed me to enjoy some of the finest cuisine the world has to offer and meet the most amazing and intricately beautiful people.

It’s like you can turn your heart’s ears to the creation around you and you will start to hear the song that is rising up. I imagine it like Mickey in Fantasia not only creating sounds but also pictures. If you just tune in, not only will you hear the song but you can see it. You can also partner with the Creator and change it! Why is there so much pleasure of walking into a room that is properly decorated for a holiday? Because you experience the holiday simply through the creative expression of it. In the same way, you can change the off-key expression into a beautiful harmony. That is my hope for this blog. I would like to discover, create and capture the creative melodies and harmonies that the world is singing.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” Psalm 96:1