“…these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. ...when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.”
The Bible tells me what I am destined for. My destiny is “this.”
“…we have been destined for this.”
The “this” of which Paul spoke was the “affliction” he suffered. Paul experienced the trials he predicted. He later acknowledged these persecutions after the fact as evidence of the destiny he somehow knew was his. He warned everyone “this” would happen and it did.
“…we kept telling you in advance… and so it came to pass.”
Paul’s destiny was fulfilled before his eyes. What he saw was the destiny he got. It was his “this.”
“…we have been destined for this.”
Destiny sounds lika a big deal. I thought mine would be bigger than it is. My “this” is not all I imagined. Apparently, what I see is what I get. Waiting and hoping for something bigger, grander, or more significant is a waste of time. “This” is my life and I “have been destined for this.”
My acceptance of what and where I am in life is the first step in making the most of what’s left. Time is running out. I am “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4.14b). Tomorrow, I could be gone; I could be with Jesus and my dearly departed wife, Adonica. I better get on with the acceptance of my lot in life. I spent the first half of my existence dreaming of how big I would be. I suspect the second half will be devoted to learning to accept how small I really am.
I well remember the dreams I had five, ten, twenty, and forty years ago. Some of my dreams may yet to be achieved. Some are simply unachievable, no matter how hard I try, how much faith I muster, or how badly I want them. I can have an impact and effect some change, but I cannot force-fulfill a destiny. Mine is what it is. What I thought would be... matters little. What matters much is right in front of me. I was “destined for this.” My “this” is the destiny I have. I must accept, settle into, make the most of, and learn to love “this.”
“…we have been destined for this.”
God had and continues to have a special plan for my life and “this” is a part of that. I “have been destined for this” and my “this” is good!
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"This is My Life" image above is a T-shirt logo design by Katie Campbell. T-shirt purchases may be made at http://www.threadless.com/product/3733/This_is_My_Life.
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