A Testimonial on Destiny

"In my own words, destiny is the progression of events that are beyond the control of humans. It is synonymous to fate, serendipity and kismet."

Do you believe in fate? Do you think there really is a supreme reason in every single thing that is happening to us? Do you agree that in whichever way the roads in our lives turn, it is guided by a divine purpose? I do. 

Of course, we still have our own free will. But most often than not, they are just mere tests of our faith in Him. Will we act according to His words and teachings or will we be doing things based on our instincts alone? Putting it in the context of love, how would you know that he really is the one God has reserved for you? How would you determine if he will be the one you are marrying? Do you consider the length of the relationship or the feelings you have right now? Or is it a mixture of both? The story I am going to share with you involves destiny.

There was an old man and woman who were a couple four decades ago. They were already in their fourth year when the relationship turned sour. For the purpose of story telling, I will name the old woman, Lola Letty and the old man, Lolo Pedring. They parted ways because Lola Letty wanted to get married but Lolo Pedring, for some reasons, can not commit yet. Heart broken, Lola had no other choice but to go and get married with someone else. Someone whom she only knew for three months. The new couple migrated abroad, had a family of their own and Lola never heard of Lolo ever again. Some years ago, a series of unfortunate events happened to Lola - she lost both her husband and only kid. To help her heal, she decided to go back here in the Philippines to spend time with her other relatives and to process some documents. A few weeks into her vacation, she happen to bump into Lolo. What a coincidence that they would meet after 40 years, right?! And what's more surprising is that they are both widowed! God has his own mysterious ways in making things work, won't you agree? They talked and reminisced their past and Lolo even told Lola how hurt he was when he saw her being wedded (yes, Lolo went to the church!) and that there must be a reason why they met now when both of them are already widowed.

Hearing their story made me ponder on these things:

• Love knows no time frame. It is only us who assigns the numbers because of our needs and wants. Our need to get a husband and start a family and our want to move on to the next chapter in our lives.  It doesn't matter whether you have been in the relationship for four years or for three months, as long as you don't get the things you are looking for, you begin to pack your bags and eventually get out of the door.

• Our current experiences happened because it will eventually lead to our destiny. It is like there is already a predetermined outcome whichever choice we will make. I guess the two most important thing is determining what is "right" to do and accepting the fact that the decisions we make are not always favorable for us. If the case is that of the latter option, there is no other way but to be responsible for our actions instead.

• Have faith in the Lord. He will not leave you. We are often reminded that we should grow our relationship with Him everyday and not just when we have problems. I wanted to believe that both Lola and Lolo had a strong relationship with God. I maybe wrong with my interpretation but I took their unexpected meeting as a sign of mercy from Him. Starting today, they will live their lives in peace and comfort knowing that they have properly closed an unnoticed open chapter all these years and they have removed any grudges that they may have of each other. It may also tell of how good our God is for probably giving them a second chance and providing them possible company especially now that they are already both alone. Isn't it amazing how second chances are freely given even if you are not really expecting one anymore? But once it came right in front us, for the right reasons, who are we to just ignore it and throw it away?

I am a believer of destiny. Not because I already know what will happen to me but because I have my fair share of "Aha!" moments too. Whether I picked the right decision or I fall into the trap for the wrong one, I know God is sincerely working on my future and I am fully entrusting it to Him.