Finding “It”

“When he (Moses) was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel” – Acts 7:23

Whenever I have the opportunity to teach about purpose discovery or life clarity, there is a question I ask participants, “How many people here want to make it?” All hands go up. Then I follow with, “What is the ‘it’ that you want to make?” At this point, people get stuck and start stuttering over their answers. Some of the answers are as vague as, “I want to make a lot of money”, “I want to be successful in life”, “I want to be a blessing to people around me”, “I want to be famous”, and several non-specific answers that can never lend themselves to achievement. If beggars were horses, beggars, they say, would ride. I have not met anyone in life who does not desire any or all of these things. In defining your ‘IT’, specificity is key. Whatever is not specific can never be dynamic. What you have not defined, you cannot find.

One question my proteges and audiences ask me almost without fail at every engagement is, “How do I discover what I was born to do?” In Christian lingo, “How do I discover or define my destiny?”

In the quest of that discovery, some have embarked on long periods of fasting and prayer and others have gone to mountain tops to boot, just to hear from God. Others have fumbled and stumbled through trying their hands at various “good” ideas. Yet, they don’t seem to have the answers. Why, they ask?

My answer is simple. Perhaps they, like Saul before he met Samuel, were looking for asses that were already found! What you seek is not lost. In fact, the reason you don’t seem to find it is that it has been with you or so close to you all along! Did I say with you? No, it has always been IN you! You just have never recognized it. The major challenge most people face is the redefinition and consequent recalibration that they have received through misguided sermons that discourage initiative and taking of bold steps, parental and societal expectations as well as definitions of life gleaned from misleading educational instruction that only prepare you for a certificate but not for a fulfilling life. Some have received instruction and direction for their lives from conflicting soundbytes on social media.

In my Clarity Coaching Class (email me if interested), there are 30 questions participants need to answer. Everyone who has ever participated in the class and answered those questions honestly has been able to chart a clear pathway for themselves in life. Testimonies abound. A meaningful life is not a 100-meter dash. It is a marathon. Today, I will not be putting out the questionnaire. However, if you have been asking the question on destiny discovery, I will give you two pointers that can be of significant help to you.

First, find a platform or something you can immediately take responsibility for. Your current job, boss or mentor, association, church etc., are opportunities and platforms to deploy current capacity. Destiny is discovered on the path of responsibility. Putting your best into whatever you are currently doing, a heart that loves people deeply, diligence at simple tasks, a heart that goes above and beyond to solve problems for people in a unique way, a yearning to make a situation or environment better than you met it, are all attributes that will take you closer to the answers you seek on the destiny pathway.

If all you are paid to do is all that you do, you will never be more than just another hired hand whose worth is determined by the one who pays you. Always transcend the call of duty. In life, you have only two employers, God and yourself. The work is the service you render, and the platform of deployment is the workplace or opportunity to serve. Kinesis or movement is the activator of potential. Energy only functions with activation. You never master a capacity that is not first deployed. The scriptures enjoin us to do whatever our hands find to do with all our might. Diligence in a task attracts attention and consequent reward. Never wait to be asked to do something when you see a problem that you can readily solve. RESPONSIBILITY is the price of true liberty.

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David never planned to be a king. He never planned to chase away evil spirits with music. But he was a diligent shepherd and consistent psalmist. When a king ran mad, his skill as a harpist became a sought-after therapy. When it was time to defend a nation from its aggressors, the same diligence and bravery he deployed in protecting sheep with his life brought Goliath down and handed victory to Israel. Doing small things in a big way will cascade into big things. Giant strides are taken one step after the other. No sprinter lifts two feet together at the same time. A leap into the future is nothing but steps taken in rapid succession today.

The second dimension is the ability to make things happen for others even if they don’t pay you for it. In a competitive and noisy world, what makes your voice heard. If nobody is giving you a paid opportunity, knock on doors and offer your capacity for free. What you cannot first do for free, you don’t qualify to do for a fee! Your rewards are hidden in the problems that you are uniquely gifted to solve for others even when money is not a consideration. Jesus made it clear that if you cannot be faithful in what belongs to another, no one will give you yours! You cannot be wiser than the Master Jesus. He Himself served others. Joseph didn’t become number two in Egypt because he dreamt. His own dream became fulfilled because he learnt to interpret other people’s dreams. If you can serve, you can lead. Jacob’s diligence in the house of Laban made him even more prosperous than his employer in a space of only six years!

In an age where empty pride and directionless rage have become the norm and ignorance on steroids has become ‘woke’, more and more people are angry, depressed, frustrated, and walking around with impaired mental health, mainly because of an entitled mindset that makes them think that government or the world owes them something. That may be true but how about what YOU OWE the world? Have you paid through responsibility? Find something you can do, no matter how small. Service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy on planet earth.

If you want to participate in a 30-day Rant Challenge, why don’t you rant about your verifiable skills, not your degree, and the value you can offer if given an opportunity to perform? You never know the doors that may open to you. Once the doors open, keep them open by demonstrating how skillful and responsible you are… continued

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!