Destiny and Purpose

What is your destiny? Do you even believe in destiny? I don’t mean fate or predetermination. By destiny I mean the path your life has taken and continues to take. As my friend and teacher Dianne Collins says, “Something taps you on the shoulder and says ‘let’s go’”. And what about your purpose – your “job” in life? Some may name it their “calling”. Aren’t we UU’s all about meaning and purpose in life? I recently explored the concepts of destiny, purpose and passion in Dianne’s program – the one I mentioned in my previous blog postings. According to Dianne, you don’t always necessarily live your destiny; the path is in there, you can take the path and the opportunities will be there for action, and yet you don’t take those opportunities. You may even be avoiding it as Jean de la Fontaine said, “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” In order to live your purpose, you may need to drop some things out of your life – they just aren’t appropriate for the time. We need a clear mind for this self reflection  – our respective spiritual practices serve us well to help.


In church on Sunday, 8/15, Scott had Miriam read excerpts from Spirit and Song. Each quote she read was in its own way a description of the author’s destiny or purpose: “I must create; music pursues me; I cannot help but…”. For some their destiny was obvious at a young age – and they jumped on the path and ran with it. For others, it may not be so clear – or they skirt along the edges of the path without fully embracing all that it has to offer.

How do you know what your purpose is? I’ve learned to ask these questions to help distinguish it – “What are you drawn to? What engages you? What do people come to you for, over and over?” If you think through your life, you can begin to see the patterns – the path your life has taken. When I look back – even into my childhood – I discover how I have been drawn to projects that match my passions – and also help me build my skills; many times I have led an initiative for the first time. I’m a “visual” person and must explore and create visually – whether with pencil and paper, my camera on a walk through a forest, or a chart pad and set of markers to help frame a discussion. I am also drawn to connect with others, often through leadership but just as often these days for relationship building. People say they come to me for perspective – a chance to test ideas and broaden their thinking; for a calming influence; and because I commit and get things done. These all help to distinguish my purpose and destiny.

Distinguishing my destiny – the path I’m on – and my purpose is really a work in progress; and in fact the path can change through life; it’s something to stay conscious of along the way. For now, I’ve decided it’s something like a connection between my leadership and the creation process – bringing the creativity out in others, whether it be through my photography projects or church work or other life activities. The people I engage with grow – perhaps gain new perspectives and achieve things they didn’t know they could – and I grow through the experience with them.

What about a congregation? Can a congregation have a destiny? A purpose? Are there opportunities that present themselves along the way that such a group – like ours – steps up to? Or ignores? What shows up for us over and over? What is our “must do”? How can we be crystal clear about our purpose for this time and this place and ensure that each of us holds it in our consciousness as the context for everything we do at church? What must we give up in order to fully live our purpose? This is one of the actions the Board and Executive Team have selected for this year. It’s not about rewriting our mission – although we are likely to find clarity of mission along the way. It’s about consciously living our mission – our purpose – together, in everything we do.

So – as you quiet your mind through your own personal spiritual practice, what comes up for you? In a single sentence, what do you think our congregation’s unique purpose is? How do we keep this front and center and live our purpose? What must we give up? Share your thoughts in the comments below, share it with a Board member – or your team members, and come to a discussion this year and let us hear what’s in your heart.

In Faith,

Nancy