Destiny.

Scores of sun kissed brown bodies filled the halls of the old Southside Hebrew Temple. Single moms, CNAs, and Transportation professionals, packed into that old landmark. One team of energetic twenty somethings led the meeting with loud music, while another cadre of brothers directed the chaotic mass to their seats. Before long, the entourage appeared on the stage. Among them was the Apostle, donning his signature curated ensemble, only further enhancing his legend. 

He taught on destiny. It was a compelling message. I learned four major lessons. 

Lesson 1: Use discernment to make decisions. 

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this was a lesson for me. But yo! Discernment is a gift from God to be able to perceive beyond what is readily observable. Growing in this gift by putting it into practice with each decision yields not only a string of better quality decisions but wisdom in the ability to perceive beyond whats on the surface. 

Lesson 2: Potential is pointless without a plan. 

Everyone has potential. Potential is the possibility of performance or production but not the proof. Everyone has potential, but only some have the purposefulness, perseverance, and patience to realize it. Unrealized potential has a definite shelf life. The Late Dr. Myles Munroe was famous for sound teaching. Among many quips of wisdom, he was known to say “the graveyard is the richest place on Earth.” Many die without realizing their potential and usually the breakdown started with the lack of a plan. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. If you are going to realize your potential you have to make a plan. A good plan is simple, measurable, and revisited often. 

Lesson 3: Finding destiny, means going the hard way at times. 

Simon Sinek said it best, millennials don’t know how to work hard. It’s common knowledge that this generation of young adults have some peculiar thoughts about life. They want to be millionaires without learning to budget, moguls without learning skills and applying them in a field, and they want all of the benefits of a full time career with the flexibility of seasonal position. But, the road to destiny requires hard things. In fact, the biblical narrative is full of examples of what it takes to find destiny, chief among them is the story of Jesus. As a Christian this story guides my daily life. The central theme of this story is the love of Jesus, a love so scandalous that not even the threat of owning the death I deserved deterred Jesus from his destiny, to reconcile millions to God. Talk about a hard road. 

Lesson 4: Sustaining change starts on a spiritual level.

The Preacher taught that many people will try to make a decision to change something, and then find themselves struggling to sustain the change. The answer to this deficit lies beyond the naked natural world. There are layers to things in life. In order to sustain change, you need to start the process of changing on the appropriate level. As a christian, I first start with spiritual awareness. If I am observing a need to change, the observation is directed to the spiritual. From there my spirit influences my mind, will, and emotions-my soul, and from there my body actualizes what my spirit is convicted by, my mind is convinced over, and my body