The Path of Destiny

For many, destiny is a straight path which leads to a bright and glorious future. To it’s followers, it appears to give purpose, meaning and hope. Passionately they strive forward, yearning to reach the destination that they believe will finally bring their hearts complete contentment. They don’t allow anything or anyone to stop them, and every obstacle in their way only makes them push even harder to reach the place where dreams come true.
But for you, the path hasn’t always beamed as brightly as you would have hoped. Questions of ‘What should I be doing?’ or ‘Where am I going?’ have brought along with it a mist of fear and doubt. The destination often seems out of focus. Yet despite a clear picture of the end, you press on taking confidence that He will guide you every step of the way. Because of this, destiny’s path has been far from straight. As you open the eyes of your heart, you see countless paths of destiny swaying listlessly in dire need of someone to help them along the way. So you break from the straight course ahead and pull towards them. In time, you’re path slowly becomes a myriad of twists and turns as you sacrifice your anticipated path in order to help others reach theirs.
And while those with straight paths glow with pride, triumphantly having achieved their heart’s greatest desires, you look onwards from far behind with more joy than they ever could. For now they stand face-to-face with their dreams and still ask in bewilderment ‘Now what?’ That’s because destiny isn’t really about reaching a particular destination at all; it’s about the journey itself. It’s not where you’re going or what you’re doing that really matters, but how you do it, and the right way to do it isn’t a straight path of searching for what the world has to give - it’s about what you can give to the world = a reflection of the One who gave us destiny to gravitate our paths towards Him. On this journey, only the weak will be the strong, only the last will be the first, and the only way to save your life is to lose it.
So as you look back at the path you’ve taken, filled with it’s many twists and turns, you stand confidently with Him by your side knowing that destiny’s path wasn’t meant to be straight to begin with. You were walking it all along.

wandering eyes...

A man went to meet a close friend at a café one afternoon. They sat down next to the table of a beautiful woman and the man began to lament about his troubled marriage. He spoke of the loss of passion and excitement in their relationship and repeated often how his attraction to his wife had soured over the years. “That doesn’t surprise me, because the moment we sat down, your eyes have kept wandering to the table of the beautiful woman.” Puzzled, the man asked how that related to anything and his friend replied, “It has everything to do with it. Our eyes are the gateways to our souls and whatever you allow to pass through them will no doubt shape the way you feel and how you see. You’ve let your eyes be captured by so many other woman that when you look at your wife, you wish she was someone else.”

the silver box

For thirty years, a man wrestled with a reoccurring nightmare. In his dream, there was a forest, a perfect glade splashed with sunlight and filled with the peaceful bliss of nature’s comfort. Each time the man would walk through the forest, he would come to a stone pillar with small, exquisite box made of silver resting on it. Though it was beautiful beyond measure, the man felt great uneasiness each time he approached it. Whenever he picked it up, suddenly it would become so heavy he could barely hold it up. Then everything would change. When he would look up again, the sky was red, the forest smoldered with ashes, and flames echoed in the distance. The box began to burn in his hands but still the man refused to let it go. Then terror griped his soul as he saw the flaming eyes of an enormous demon looming before him. The man was naked now and so terrified that he started to run away. But he could never run far enough, for the demon was always behind him. Then by some miraculous escape, he would wake up.
He visited many psychologists, priests and even mediums but still, few could understand the dream, much less explain why it kept happening. Then one day, the man met an old monk in the countryside. The man felt inclined to tell the monk of his dream. The monk stood quiet for a moment and then said, “I don’t know what the meaning of your dream is but I do know for certain that the answer lies with the demon,” said the monk. “You must ask God for the strength to face your fears if you ever wish to overcome them”.
That night, the man had the same dream and when he knew the demon was near, he decided to pray to God for strength to face it. To his surprise, God answered “I’m right here my child where I have always been.” Startled and confused, the man looked up and saw the bright light of an angelic figure standing before him. Then he asked God where had he been all the other times he needed Him, and God replied, “The box silver box carries your fear, guilt, and shame. Whenever you tried to pick it up, I came to help you destroy it. But each time I came, you refused to let go of it and ran away because you thought you saw a demon”. The Teacher says: “Often our greatest fear is the god we have created in minds.”

the cyclical life...

The Teacher asks: “Why are we so inclined to live life in cycles? Why is it that we insist on ordering the same meal when we go out? Or walk the same path when we stroll? Or sit in the same pew each Sunday at church? We say ‘What worked for us before, must surely work for us again,’ and so we do it, trying to relive moments by repeating them in cycles. This, friend, is the way of Lesser Things.
A person settling for the Lesser Things goes about his life searching for the best experience within the box he has created. Almost always are his choices made without any ounce of risk or threat to his security. When he senses a bit of discomfort, he quickly retreats back to what has always worked for him. Slowly, this life becomes redundant, monotonous, and his thirsty heart begins to harden like cement. Know then before you find yourself in the trough of another cycle, that no moment can ever truly be relived - only repeated with diminishing return. The Teacher says ‘Live life free of cycles!’ Look to break them, even if you float effortlessly down the stream – choose instead to swim against the current! Remember; you only came to enjoy what you hold so dearly to because at one point, you decided to take a risk and try something new. There is always a first time for everything, so even though you may not find what you desire right away, don’t fear the journey of discomfort. Instead embrace it! Because through it you will be born anew each moment, really living just a little bit more each time.
So, order something new the next time you go out, because you may find a meal you will savor and prepare for your children for years to come. Try a new route when you go for a stroll, because if you do, you assure yourself a new adventure at the very least. And next time, sit in a different pew at church because just maybe, the next person you meet will have precious words waiting to give you from God himself!”

the tree, the fish & the moon

There was once a young prince who had never stepped foot outside the walls of his father’s palace. The King warned him “There is no need to go beyond the palace door, for everything a boy could desire is here.” And the King basked his son with every pleasure his heart desired. But over time the Prince soon grew weary of dessert and toys, games and fleeting joys. One day while the King slept, the Prince disobeyed his father and quietly slipped past the palace door. For the first time, his eyes beheld a bright and mysterious forest. His heart leapt as he danced through the enchanted beauty of the trees. As he came to the end of the forest, a tree bent over to the Prince and said, “Don’t go beyond the forest, for everything a boy could desire is here.” But the Prince had soon grown weary of rocks and trees, birds and bees, so the Prince ran away from the Tree beyond the forest. For the first time he saw a field full of grassy meadows flowing with dazzling blue streams. His heart leapt as he rolled in the flowers and swam in the stream. As the river winded into a mountainous pass, a fish swam over to the Prince and said, “Don’t go beyond the meadows and streams, for everything a boy could desire is here.” But the Prince had grown weary of flowers and grassy hills, sunshine and aquatic thrills, so he ran away from the river and began walking up the rocky trail. His heart slowly dimmed as the air grew thinner and the sun began to set. As the Prince came to the edge of the cliff and peered down at the world far below, the moon looked down at him and said, “Don’t go beyond the cliff my prince, for beyond there a boy can no longer desire anything at all.” But the Prince sadly looked up at the moon and said, “I have been given everything my heart desires and yet I still long for more. If that is all there is to this life, then there really is not much to it at all.” And with that, the moon shed a tear for the young prince who stepped beyond the edge of the cliff, and was never seen again.

on purity...

A famous Alchemist, bound to his duty, visited a village and proclaimed that if anyone with pure motives were to bring a stone and drop it into his pool of water, the stone would turn to gold and be given to the poor. One by one, the religious leaders, the philosophers, and the politicians each came with a stone in hand and dropped it into the pool. But to everyone’s surprise, not a single one of these stones turned to gold. Only one man remained, and just as he was about to drop his stone, he stopped and said, “Dear Alchemist, as much as I want to help the poor, I know deep down that if this stone were to turn to gold, I would want everyone to know that it was I who had the purest motive. It is for this reason that I know my motives for doing this can never truly be pure.” The Alchemist smiled and said, “Thank you for releasing me! The only one with pure enough motives to turn a stone to gold has come and gone long ago. I would have stood here waiting until He returns if someone had not finally understood this.” Then he pulled out a shining bar of gold and handed it to the man. “Now give this to the poor and remember: although your motives are never truly pure, there is always room for them to be purer still. All purity comes first through refinement. Let this be the guide for your good.”

on the unexpected...

The teacher says, “Sometimes there come points in life where we are forced to move on unexpectedly. For those who trust in the omens of God, these are not times to wallow in what was, but to embrace what is yet to come. Growth occurs the most when persistence meets pressure and prevails. Just as the snake sheds the old skin to make room for the new, we too must prepare our lives for the opportunities only a watchful, readied eye can welcome. But be careful not to walk through any door that opens; the world feeds on the impatience of travelers ready to walk the path of the predictable. Even Paul, locked in jail for his faith, knew to remain in his cell when an angel of the Lord seemingly made way for his escape. He listened to the still small voice in his heart that taught him to discern the good from the best. In the end, not only was he given back his freedom, but a man and his household were saved that day too. So as the text teaches us, 'Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds', because for those that know their Maker, there are few accidents in life - only incidents that prepare this life for the one to come.”

ascension...

As I look to the sky, I see a world where angels fly.
Far beyond our atmosphere, is a place where He’s very near
Deep within me there’s something that can never be filled here,
That’s why I know that I belong there,

So I press on, knowing that every step brings me closer
I run harder, because there’s no point looking over my shoulder,
I move faster, there’s no time to lose
I jump higher, it’s this new world I choose

And as I begin to ascend, to the unknown where I can no longer pretend,

I finally begin to understand why, I should never have been afraid to die,
Like an eagle, I was always meant to fly

'Ascension' (Short Film)

the rich man & the beggar...

There was once a rich man who searched the earth for every treasure his heart desired. Paintings, gold, rubies, palaces, emeralds, exotic woman – every treasure he wanted he soon amassed, until one day he was left with nothing else to desire. So he called together all his court officials, treasurers and servants, and said, “I have attained everything in the world my heart desired and still I long to be satisfied.” Then he sent out his servants in search of the first beggar they could find and told them to bring him back to the palace to be fitted with his own cloths. When they had done this, the rich man pulled out the key to his inheritance and whispered something in the beggar’s ear. Then he turned to everyone and said, “This beggar is now your master. Serve him with the same respect you have served me with.” Then he gave the key to beggar, took the beggar’s ragged cloths for his own and was never seen again. The people were astonished by the rich man’s great generosity and praised him as a saint. But only after many years did the beggar reveal what the rich man had whispered to hum that day. “Now I go to build my treasure over again. One day, all I have given you will be mine once more.”
The teacher says, “Let us not walk to the edge of the world to discover that true contentment is not found around the next corner. We always dream of what we do not possess, but often its our need to be needful that stops us from truly being satisfied with what we already have.”

dropping pebbles into the ocean...

An actor who was struggling with vain thoughts because of his newfound fame, went to visit a monk. The actor asked the monk how he could get rid of his vanity, to which the monk replied, “Our thoughts our like dropping pebbles into the ocean. When we allow the pebble to be caught up by the current of the waves, we believe that we deserve everything we have and the praise we recieve blinds us and stops the pebble from going any deeper. This is the first and most shallow level of living. But if we allow the pebble to drop a little further down, we see that there will always be someone better than we are and that our success was dependent on many other factors than simply our own ambition. And if we allow the pebble to drop even further still, into the deep waters of the ocean, we will begin to understand that the universe was once a single black void that the Maker crafted into the world we live and depend on, and that any talents or success you experience is completely dependent on the merciful gift you had nothing to do with in the first place. That is why vanity was once a stranger to our world.”

what am I?

Through me the light is able to breathe,
Yet if darkness twists, lies I will conceive,
I am carried by the wind and form the currents of love,
Entwined with a promise, I give two a life undreamed of,
Though I am invisible to man’s naked eyes,
I can shatter your spirit if hate within me lies,

What am I?

on motives...

Two men in heaven were walking up the mountain of God to reach the city gates. The first, a religious man, pushed a cart full of gold bars which were given him for all the good deeds he had done in life, while the other man, a sinner, carried none. The first man looked down at his companion and had compassion. “I will give him one of my gold bars so that God will not think his life was wasted,” he thought, “but not two because then God may give him more rewards than he deserves.” The sinner rejoiced when he was given the single gold bar and thanked him profusely. But when they reached the city gates, the sinner dropped the gold bar to the ground when he saw the face of God. He began to weep for he knew he was a sinner and God welcomed him into the city.
“If that is what the sinner received without even giving away any of his gold,” thought the disciple, “my reward must be tens times greater than I ever imagined.”
Then God turned to the religious man and said, “You can put those in the pile over there and get to work on the road if you would like,” then turned to walk back through the city gates. Astonished that God gave him neither any rewards nor welcomed him into the city, the religious man protested, “How is it that I, who have worked so hard for you all my life must stay out here and work like a dog while the sinner gains access to your courts for nothing. Even the single gold bar he owned was what I gave him!”
Then God replied, “Yes I have seen all the good works you have done in your life, but what I also see is the motives behind them. All the good deeds you did were done for your own benefit, not for me. But more importantly, you still believe that you need to give me gold to enter the city. Because of that, you must remain here.”

the first door...

The teacher says, “Some people strive their whole lives to be rich, while others to be in a position of power and fame, or like most, to experience life’s greatest pleasures. But these are really just words for an inner reality; whatever the desire is, the motive is always the same. What people are truly striving for is not just money, but the security and possibilities it creates; not simply power but the importance of self it brings; and not only pleasure, but the feeling of bliss that comes with it. In the end, what we are really looking for in life is not something we can attain, or achieve or become at all, but something completely intangible and internal. It seems only sensible to start our journey by looking on the inside instead. Here you’ll find the first door to the spiritual life.”

on seeking direction...

There was a college student in her senior year who visited her spiritual advisor once a month. When they sat down for coffee like they regularly would, the girl looked unusually sad. So her spiritual advisor asked her, “Why is it that you look so sad? You should be happy, you only have a few more months to go until you finish school. Then you are finally free to do anything you would like.”
The girl looked up and replied, “Yes I know, you’re right – I should be excited. When I was a young girl, I dreamed of the day I would finally be able to walk up that stage and receive the diploma I have worked so hard for. I believed that once I had achieved that, every door in the world would be open for me. But now that the day is so close, I can’t seem to figure out what it is I should do. For four years I have worked tirelessly to get to this point, and still I have no idea which direction I should go next.”
The spiritual advisor replied, “Then go in any direction. A ship at sail is much easier to change course than when it is tied to the dock. God has given us a great gift – the freedom to choose. The fear of making mistakes is what stops us from learning from them. ”

on storytelling...

A writer who was getting frustrated with his lack of progress decided to phone an old friend who mentored him. “I’ve spent the entire week, locked up in my room thinking about the next scene in my story, but I can’t come up with anything. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a storyteller.”
“Nonsense!” replied the Mentor, “You just need to stop wasting your time”.
The man was shocked. “Wasting my time? How could I be wasting my time? All I’ve done is work on this story. How else can I get it done?”
The Mentor replied “By leaving your room and going for a walk”
“Going for a walk? But then I’ll really be wasting time and-"
“… or listening to music, or calling a friend, or looking through old photos,” continued the Mentor. “Stories are found in the rhythm of the melody, in the complexity of a relationship and in feelings of days long past. Stories are created when the heart is full to the brim and is about to spill over. You have been so consumed with trying to make a story that you have forgotten the reason why you are compelled to tell them.”