Do you ever have that feeling that you’re supposed to achieve something important in your lifetime; that you are destined to be the cause of something significant in the world? Maybe you feel a tug somewhere deep down that it’s your assignment to create a groundbreaking product, change the world for the poor, write a book, or help find a cure for some disease.
Perhaps you have no idea what it is; you just feel that maybe you are here for a reason after all – that you have a destiny that is far from insignificant.
It’s great to feel like that; I think we’re all supposed to live with a sense of purpose, an understanding that we exist for something exceptionally exciting. Our being here is not a mistake, nor a mere product of chance – we were all made with a specific, electrifying purpose in mind.
For those of us who feel this call, although it’s exciting, it can be difficult to manage. It’s really easy to get frustrated when things don’t happen when we want or expect them to. I have a few dreams, many of which right now seem a long way off from being realised. I live with them everyday, thinking about them often, and regularly find myself becoming annoyed that they’re not happening this instant.
Do you ever encounter this kind of dissatisfaction? I’m discovering it doesn’t have to be this way – we can live with this thrilling sense of calling, while being simultaneously fully content with today.
A main reason that we get frustrated, is because to us, reaching the dream is the ultimate aim. We have a destination in mind, and anything short of it is inadequate.
But you know what? The truth is, it’s all about the journey. It’s about enjoying the people and things we have today – it’s the things en route that make life special – not just arriving.
I love long car journeys. Perhaps it’s because we don’t get to go on them often living on a tiny island. But when we hop on the boat to France, I can’t get enough of that feeling of hitting the open road, and slicing through country after country. There’s something so fun about movement, that sense of progress. I enjoy the breaks – tucking into a crepe in France, a hotdog in Berlin and a fried trout in Poland, and mucking around in service stations at 4am to get coffee.
My point is, the journey is supposed to be fun. When we go on these holidays I’m not sitting behind the wheel gritting my teeth with blinkers on, wishing for the time to pass. Instead, I enjoy getting to the holiday destination as much as the holiday itself.
Did you know that our primary purpose on earth – a purpose above that sense of calling I’m talking about – is enjoyment? That is our raison d’etre, so if we let secondary callings stop us from achieving the primary one of happiness, then we end up achieving nothing, and life becomes fairly meaningless.
Becoming too fixated on the things we want to happen in the future means that we neglect the very things that have the power to bring us into our destiny anyway. The experiences and the people along the way – all that is around you today – is preparing and shaping you perfectly so that you are able to achieve the things that you long for. So don’t look down on today! Enjoying it will help you get to where you want to be.
There’s nothing our little boy Sasha loves more, than going out into the garden. The trouble is, it’s still pretty cold outside, so he has to wear his coat. He hates putting on his coat. He runs away and kicks and makes a fuss. He doesn’t understand yet, that putting on that piece of clothing is simply preparation for the thing he’s most looking forward to – it’ll keep him warm so he can enjoy it properly.
We do this too. We don’t like our circumstances today too much because they don’t look like our dream. In reality these things are simply there to prepare us for the things we most want to achieve in life.
Fear
We do not need to be afraid that we won’t realise our dreams. We have them for a reason – they are supposed to be reached, and if we embrace today as well as our bright future, we’ll have everything at the right time necessary to complete the things we are called to do.
So you and I can relax. We can trust that what we are supposed to do will happen at the right time. We can embrace and enjoy this beautiful tension, between being fully satisfied with today, while simultaneously anticipating more – reaching for the things that we long for, working toward them diligently.
By staying happy – free from unforgiveness, bitterness and anxiety, we’ll slide into our destinies with ease.
Finally, there is no shortcut. There is no way to speed things up. So enjoy the journey. Whatever you are cultivating inside of you today, is a picture of your future. If you’re being diligent to live in joy, peace and thankfulness now, you can be certain that your future is bright.
You have a great destiny! Thanks so much for reading.
