A Date with Destiny

I am a participant in Women of L.E.A.D., “A women’s forum whose mission is to inspire and support women in walking out their destiny.” Our theme for 2020 is, “A Date With Destiny.”

One day, in thinking about our theme for the year, I reflected back to when I first started dating my husband. I was in college in Greensboro and he was in Charlotte, so we didn’t see each other during the week. We talked on the phone almost daily. One of the most important topics of conversation for us was whether-or-not I would come home on the weekend to see him or if he would make the drive to see me. We really looked forward to our dates! All week I would think about where we would go and what we would do. It was important to me that I wore the right outfit because I wanted him to be excited when he saw me! I made sure that I was caught up on my class assignments because I didn’t want to shorten my time with him. I would imagine how the conversations would go, envision us dancing to our favorite songs in my stilettos and eating from his plate, for his food always looked so yummy when it arrived. We both anticipated our determined times together with great elation and neither of us was happy when things interfered. A date…determined times…determined plans.

Abba’s got plans for a hope-filled future for his children. He says to us in Jeremiah 29:11CEB, “I know the plans I have in mind for you declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.” We’re not to meander through life in a day to day existence. Abba’s idea is for us to live life on purpose! Deliberately, intentionally and uniquely impacting our own lives and the lives of those whose paths interlace with ours, in ways that add to our quality of life and to humanity in general.

I had mistakenly taken purpose to mean the career, goals or successes to measure. I once thought that I was destined to become a teacher or preacher, as I would play school my dolls and stuffed animals. Then on Sunday afternoons, I would line them up on my grandparents’ front steps for church and preach to them. I knew very early on that I am divinely designed to encourage, support, and instruct. I have had the blessing of many different jobs in my life and in each of them, no matter the career title, I made an impact according to my divine design. Teaching was just one avenue that I utilized to impact my sphere of influence.

In my mentoring to others, I often remind them that the thing which bothers you the most, that aggravates you to the nth degree, that burdens your heart heavily, is most likely the thing you’re called to impact in some type of way. Destiny! Why? Because that aggravation is also passion that can fuel positive impact if we choose to do so. Passion along with divine design moves us toward destiny and fulfilling those hope-filled plans that Abba places within us.

So, in pondering the theme, “A Date with Destiny,” and embracing Jeremiah 29:11, jotted down a few questions.

1) Do I embrace my own uniqueness, my divine design?

2) Do I believe that I am supposed to be an impactful person?

3) Do I think about my purpose and destiny on a regular basis?

4) Am I preparing for it and walking it out with enthusiasm?

5) Do I prioritize my time and activities to reflect that fulfilling my destiny is of utmost importance?

6) Are there things that frighten me about walking out my destiny?

7) Do I trust God to do exceedingly abundantly beyond I can ask or think, or is this just a scripture that I quote?

Fulfilling our destiny has God value. He has created us to be a conduit of himself; his love, power, peace, grace, and we should be passionate and diligent in fulfilling that purpose in whatever way we are divinely designed and assigned to do so.

I have a date with destiny and when we get together, I want Him to say, “Well done.”

Judith 15:8-10

Matthew 25:23