“Therefore consider carefully how you listen.” Luke 8:18
As our server handed Linda and me our checks – we had met for lunch at a popular Asian restaurant – I asked if she needed prayer for anything. Linda slipped out of the booth, heading for an appointment, and I lingered as the woman thought for a moment. Then, tears sliding down her smooth youthful face, she explained that she was afraid she had missed her destiny.
Oddly enough, just days earlier, another young woman shared the same fear. She was my doctor’s assistant. When he left the room, I asked her if she had a prayer request. She began crying, saying that she had missed her destiny.
To a woman my age it felt absurd that these barely-in-their-twenties youngsters believed their lives were over. Nonetheless, their despair was real. As I gently asked for more information, I learned that they were Christians who had been taught the popular destiny teaching. Both rather incomprehensively mentioned a boyfriend’s role in their missed destinies.
I get that the idea of destiny sounds inspiring—who doesn’t want a God-given purpose? But when I first heard this teaching, I had questions. What does destiny even mean? No one offered a clear definition. Why did missing your destiny mean your life was over? Did God give up on you? More puzzling, why did everyone’s destiny involve an international ministry or global impact? Why couldn’t someone’s destiny be serving as the custodian of a school. What an amazing destiny that would be to walk through the school hallways, praying over the building, the children, and teachers. Or to work in the lunchroom or office. How about serving as a first-responder, a homemaker, or a nurse? Perhaps it is time to stop chasing some grand destiny and focus on what Jesus told us to do. Follow Him daily (Luke 9:23), whether as a custodian or a preacher. Isn’t following Him the ultimate destiny?
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice how quickly teachings like destiny spread across pulpits, with many preachers jumping on the bandwagon. In a sense trendy teachings metastasize.
Inner healing is another one that, unfortunately, became trendy. Inner healing itself isn’t the issue, but its sudden popularity sparked a wave of questionable books. I attended a conference when inner healing was trending and picked up book after book written by preachers who had no training in inner healing.
Recall my two young friends weeping because they believed they had missed their destinies. Their tears weren’t about a set-back or a break up—they were the fruit of a teaching that promised a grand destiny but left them feeling that they had profoundly and irretrievably failed. Imagine the frustration of people seeking healing from unresolved trauma, only to find books written to cash in on a trend.
Jesus admonishes us to be careful HOW we listen. So how do we listen carefully? Test every teaching against Scripture, pray for discernment, and seek counsel from seasoned believers. God has a purpose for you, not in chasing trends, but in following Him daily. He will guide your steps.
God bless,
Susan
