Do you believe in destiny?
Do comments such as, “she was destined for success,” or “they were destined to be together,” ring true or hollow?
Is destiny what happens to you or what you make happen? Do dreams, goals, aspirations and ambitions define one’s destiny?
Does the notion of a pre-determined outcome, unalterable by choices, consequences or circumstances, seem more fatalistic than fortunate, doomsday or dream-come-true, or somewhere in between? Is it superstitious to believe in destiny? Who or what controls one’s destiny?
Might destiny be some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy spoken into existence or the byproduct of sowing and reaping?
We’ve all been there, right? Plans made. Cost weighed. Contingency for another day. Then reality paints a much different picture. Was destiny thwarted or realized?
King Solomon, renowned for his unmatched wisdom, writes: “The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Can you relate? I can. Throughout my 30-year journalistic career, I’ve kept a secret—a fantastical dream of authoring a book. Harbored in the back crevice of my mind, the idea seemed unrealistic and unattainable. Although I have written hundreds of articles for newspapers, magazines and online publications, the thought of authoring a 50,000-word treatise seemed overwhelming if not impossible. That’s probably why I only shared my grandiose idea with my wife, Dawn. After all, no major publisher would consider releasing a book by a first-time author with no celebrity status or social media following.
Two years ago, I began a new chapter in my life as a writer and editor with Decision magazine. My second feature article assignment at the new job had me interviewing former MLB All-Star Slugger Darryl Strawberry and writing about God’s rescuing, redeeming and restoring work in his life.
Several months after the article was published, Darryl told me he had been offered a contract with Zondervan Books, and after much prayer, he and his wife, Tracy, sensed God leading them to ask me to be their author. I’m glad I was sitting down when Darryl called with his proposal, and somehow, I didn’t drop my cell phone or burst into tears of joy.
To make a long story short, Turn Your Season Around—How God Transforms Your Life by Darry Strawberry with Lee Weeks has been an Amazon Best Seller in baseball biographies and the Christian Discipleship genre since its release on January 12, 2021.
When I joined the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s magazine staff, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. It was still difficult, however, to relocate with Dawn and our four children to Charlotte, N.C., and leave our friends and home of the past 20 years near Atlanta.
Unbeknownst to me at that time, God was orchestrating the birth of a dream which I had rarely prayed or talked about. Reflecting on my career, it would not have seemed I was destined to author a bestseller with a top tier publisher on my first try.
But when God opens doors and we walk by faith through them, we realize His divine destiny for our lives.
King Solomon’s Biblical wisdom resonates with my experience: “Trust in Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Are you trusting in the Lord? Have you accepted His invitation to write your story? He knows your past, present and future. And He wants more than anything to write your name in His Lamb’s Book of Life.
Jesus declares in John 10:9–11: “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
And as for your destiny, it’s not a mystery either. Walk in faith through The Door.
“And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him” Hebrews 9:27–28.
Happy Easter
Jesus is risen!
