Here the question comes! Have we thought of it? Or even if we have, have we thought of it critically? How do we see ourselves? What kind of people do we think are we? How do we see our future? Is it bright? Yes, of course, we think. Our future is bright! And after all, who will think of himself as hapless? But are we aware that is it this too powerful clutch we've had on this perception of our future, which has blindfolded many of us about the reality behind what we call 'destiny'? Sounds unclear? Let's look at it this way...
Everyone, including you and I, was born with no definite destiny as we have grown to believe. Majority of us think that what one eventually becomes, or what becomes of one in life, is exactly what God intended about his life. And so if a man ends up rich and prosperous in life, the general assumption is, that's what God created him to become. Have you ever wondered why some people, when young, can confidently say, "I want to be a lawyer", or, "I want to be the president of my nation", but end up eventually as teachers, or pastors? And, even if what one becomes is what God intended for him, how about those who do not go far in life, or even end up in the prisons or in other bad conditions like poverty, bad luck and others? Are those bad situations what God intended for them, and in other words, their destinies? And if you answer 'yes' to this question, then I ask again: why would God make some people prosper, and others suffer? Why?
Yes. I believe now you are perceiving that in fact, God cannot be so unfair to that extent. And your perception is true! God cannot, and will never do that. He is not partial. The truth is, when He created us, He set us at par with each other. We are all humans. We all have the same body features. We all have brains, limbs, eyes, hearts. True to what you may be thinking now, others do not have all all these features, or have lost one or two of them. But I know some visually impaired who have made it in life; and at least I know of Pastor Nicholas James Vujicic, limbless, but who has made it in life, and has touched and is still touching millions of lives with his life. The final balance is, God is no respecter of persons, to do some people good, and others bad. If so, why then do some people succeed, and others fail? Why do we put some groups of people on beautiful pedestals, and then marginalise others? Even in our societies, why do some individuals become good people, and others, unruly? Is it their destinies? Never. Not at all.
We are what we do, as someone rightly said. We are what we decide to become. We are not what people think we are. We are not what people--great men of God, our parents, our grandparents, our teachers, our friends--say we would become. We are not what our instincts tell us we would become; neither are we what we've dreamt we have become. We become tomorrow what we do with our lives today. We get tomorrow, what we work with our strengths for, today. Therefore, if your man of God prophesied that you would become a very great man, and you sit down unconcerned, lazy, carefree, truth is, you cannot succeed. Many of us think we have beautiful talents. We should not make a mistake! Our destinies are not tied to our talents. Our talents will not make us great unless after discovering them, we make conscious efforts to develop them.
So everything is hinged on hard work. Yes, it is hard work, and not a false sense of 'destiny'. We must start thinking outside the box. We must start dropping all those falsehoods, and begin real hard work. We must be persistent, bent on succeeding, never giving up. We must be God-fearing, humble, and truthful. We must choose friends wisely, and choose life partners wisely. We must manage our time and resources wisely, and make the best use of each opportunity we chance on. Finally, we must learn to forgive easily, and must not think of evil against our neighbours. All, these, coupled with real hard work, is what will take us to anywhere we wish to go in life. And so, we are not born with destinies; we make them.
For me, I have discovered mine, and it is for me to use the writing talent to inspire and uplift the hopeless and the downhearted. I write to them, and tell them that whatever the situation is, O, there is hope! And what I do to assure them of the truth in what I tell them is what I am doing here in this photo--I smile. How about you? Have you discovered yours yet? If not, discover it today, and work so hard at it. And when that gives you the truest assurance of your real destiny in life, then you can smile, like me...
May the Lord be with you...
-- ISAAC ESSOUN
