c r o s s+r o a d s

Pursuing Your Destiny

When I was a child, I disliked Lenten because radio and TV stations were off the air (not heard of cable TV during the 70's) and food is limited to vegetables and fish. As a child, I interpreted reflection as a time to be sad because I hear the elders singing the passion of the Christ in a poignant manner. I was also told to refrain from playin' and foolin' around because God is "dead", hence, I may get injured. I also got the impression that this is a time to live holy, anyway, I have the rest of the year to live as I wish.

In my young mind, I look forward to Easter Sunday because life returns to normal--

But what is Easter? Is it just a yearly religious activity without relevance to our work and career fulfillment?

In the course of time, I understood that Easter brings more than restoring normalcy in our urban life... It is more than a religious celebration... It is a celebration of JESUS-- He set the example on how to succeed in ones career, destiny, purpose and calling in life.

THE EXAMPLE SET BY JESUS

JESUS knew His purpose in life.

Because of his relationship with (God) the Father, Jesus became aware of his career path. Some called it calling, destiny and purpose in life. He publicly recognized His 'calling' when He was 12 years old (in the Jewish culture, manhood begins at 12). Remember the story when he was left at the temple?

JESUS was focused on His goals.

When JESUS pursued His calling, several 'diversions' were presented-- Though
JESUS is King and will be the political head of Israel in the "distant" future, this will not happen yet. His first and immediate goal is to free mankind from the power that keeps people stupid, poor and sick.

First, Satan offered Him an alternate kingdom if He will only bow to him. This happened after Jesus completed his fast.

Second, the people of Israel insisted of making him king and declare independence from imperialist Rome. This happened after Jesus fed the multitudes. JESUS not only knew His purpose, but also the timing and path to achieve it.

JESUS overcame His fear.

If you think JESUS never felt fear, well think again. Remember His prayer in Gethsemane? He insinuated to (God) the Father that He would quit. In this story, we learned the prayer 'not my will but yours be done'. He was so stressed that His blood flows with his sweat. His relationship with the Father gave Him comfort, assurance and strength to finish his goal.

Like JESUS, we all have purpose on this planet, that should be our focus. Ask God if you are not aware of yours. If you are in-sync with your destiny, there is no vacuum in your heart.

Like Jesus, recognizing our career or calling is not sufficient. We should strive to reach our goals the right way and on its proper time. If Jesus was tempted, we are not better than Him. Alternate routes will be presented and may rob us of God's best. The right path may be longer and hard but it prepares our character, knowledge and skills, a prerequisite in fulfilling our destiny.

The 'fear' factor may also cause us to quit, but like Jesus, we should strive to bond with God the Father to find strength and encouragement.

By the Example He set, let us be inspired to complete ours.

JESUS AND EASTER

EASTER, or the resurrection of JESUS is the solution to many of men's woes-- economic, social and personal.

People and governments tried to remove these problems but in-spite of the scientific, behavioral and legal approaches, after so many years, the problem remains.

The problem lies not only in the environment but also in the 'heart' of man. It started way back from the (first) deviation of Adam to the guidelines set by his Creator. The fall of man resulted to:

(1) Poverty-- they were driven out of the Garden, a place of abundance, peace and the place where they meet God face to face.

(2) Man has to work harder to live-- thorns and thistles began to grow in the ground. Man has to work 'harder' to get the results. The single act of disobedience changed the working conditions.

(3) Difficulty in raising a family-- Sibling rivalry entered , i.e. Cain murdered Abel

(4) Health problems. Deviation from acceptable norms resulted to stress and stress can lead to sickness. Sickness to death. The lifespan of man reduced drastically thru the years.

Everything good became corrupted, thus, the present problem in our society.

But because of Easter, there is hope of change. The resurrection of Jesus signifies new beginning-- regardless of the mistakes of the past. Those who believe on the resurrection story possesses the hope that brings about change in the heart of man. A changed heart affects the paradigm of a person-- his mindset about relationships and life changes. His motives change, his work attitude changes too.

The observation of Lenten should not be compartmentalize to ones religious belief, a relationship with the Divine influences every facet of an individuals life, including his career. With Jesus' life, a benchmark was set on how one can succeed. With Jesus, man can

1. Determine his career path--- purpose in life, calling and destiny.
2. Stay focus.
3. Navigate away from diversions.
4. Overcome fear.

Copyright © s k o p u n, 2005. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright holder and author of this article, Sonnie Santos.

posted by ASKSonnie @ Sunday, March 27, 2005