FAITHteen | Issue #3

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Spiritual Fitness:
What is your destiny?

A Moment Like This
By Kelly Clarkson

A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
Oh I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.

Is it destiny, fate, or luck that guides our lives?

Winning the "American Idol Talent Show" was a great experience for Kelly as she begins an exciting new life in the music industry. When we look at her life, most of us see her as being very lucky, and we wonder if something like this could possibly happen to us.

Some people believe in "fate" or "destiny." Sometimes when we look back on a choice, decision, or situation, we could never imagine anything being different. The truth however, is that our choices and decisions in a given situation are what help to determine and shape our lives.

Thanks to a thing called "free-will" we are able to help choose our "destiny." I say help, because many things help shape our "destiny". We have the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with. We have our relationships - parents, friends and other people that are involved in our lives. Then we have the circumstances. These are the things in life that we cannot really control: where we live, economics, etc. So much of our lives are under our control, but there is a certain amount of "chance" that comes into play.

Well I may be dreaming but till I awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I'll cherish all the love we share

The final piece of the destiny puzzle is the all-important question: What is God calling you to do?

Based on your gifts and talents, circumstances and relationships, what are you being prepared for? God calls us all to take on some roll in life. What role are you supposed to play?

What is under our control and what is under God's control? When we look at our lives we have to assume we are in control of a great deal, but the blessings God grants us play a major role in our lives.

How do we react? When it comes time to be acknowledged for our achievements do we bow and take the award? Do we allow ourselves to slip into believing it is all about us? When we receive a blessing, let us remember the God who grants us so many blessings. Let us remember to thank God for such blessings.

It's almost that feeling we've met before
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy
When I tell you love has come here and now

Should we leave our love relationships to chance?

When it comes to relationships it is difficult for us to know which one is "it". Some people have tried to say that you know the moment you meet that person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. Others say they have fallen in and out of love so often that they are not sure what to think. Of course, there is nothing wrong with dating a variety of people in order to give yourself a chance to find the person who is right for you. The trick is to understand the differences in people and be open to what God is calling you to do.

Sometimes a person will use the old "biological clock" as a way of determining when it is time to find someone to marry. Don't let some magic age determine when you decide to "get serious" about finding the man or woman for you.

Many people start out as friends before they date, and that friendship moves into something more as time goes by. That might be the best way to go. Being a friend first means that you know the "real" person. Too often you have to date a person a long time before it's possible to know the real person.

"Patience is a virtue."

The final issue that needs to be discussed is patience. Be patient! If we look back on our lives we usually see that our big mistakes happened when we forget to be patient. When it comes to success or love, speed is not the best goal to have. Good things happen, we just need to know that patience is very important. Be patient - good things will happen - just be patient for your ... moment like this!

Life Applications:
1. What are the most recent blessings in your life?
2. Who has God put into your life that has made a difference?
3. What gifts and talents has God blessed you with?

From the Catechism:

305 Jesus asks for childlike abandonment to the providence of our heavenly Father who takes care of his children's smallest needs: "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' ... Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."

306 God is the sovereign master of his plan. But to carry it out he also makes use of his creatures' cooperation. This use is not a sign of weakness, but rather a token of almighty God's greatness and goodness. For God grants his creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and thus of cooperating in the accomplishment of his plan.

By Dcn. Jim Corder