Destiny is a strange thing. Most of us acknowledge and agree on some concept of destiny—something greater than our own pleasure or survival to live for. Many spend a lifetime trying to figure out what that destiny is so they can go chase it down. “What’s my purpose?” has got to be one of the most asked questions of all time. And the older we get, the more driven we are to find out the answer so we can have the chance to fulfill that purpose before we die—hopefully, while we are still young enough to experience the joy of walking in it.

But what if destiny isn’t about something we are supposed to accomplish? What if our purpose isn’t tied to a list of unique achievements or assignments only we can perform? What if it is linked to who we are and how we were created? What if our destiny is something that is written into our DNA code—something God breathed into us while we were still in our mother’s womb? What if our purpose is as individual and inescapable as our fingerprints? If that were true, then destiny isn’t something we need to chase; destiny is something extraordinary that chases after us.

Never confuse your purpose with your assignments. In your lifetime, you will fulfill so many different roles and wear so many different hats that it would be a burden to think all of those were just some preparation you were meant to endure to prepare you for some grand achievement you were born to fulfill.

And what if you never know what that is? What if your life ended early or you were altered by an accident or illness? What if you pursued the wrong path of education or took the wrong job? So you see that viewing purpose through the grid of something you must do or you fail is a recipe for a lifetime of disappointment and regret.

Instead, consider viewing purpose through the lens of living as a created being of God, uniquely fashioned with gifts, talents, and abilities, formed with personality and humor and the potential for wisdom and wit. Perhaps our purpose lies closer to discovering and knowing the One who created us so we can function in harmony with the design He so lovingly crafted. What if knowing Him and being known by Him were at the very core of our destiny? What if fellowship with the Father is that for which we are created? Then everything we do—every cause we sacrifice for, every skill we develop, every brilliant choice and tragic mistake, every connection, and every project we endeavor could not help but allow us to know Him more, see ourselves in His light, and bring Him glory.

Thank You, God, for destiny that pursues me. Thank You for implanting purpose I cannot escape. Amen.