[vAs I've been thinking about the meaning of destiny recently, it seems to come up everywhere, in what I'm reading, listening to, watching. That's pretty typical I think. It's like if you're looking to buy a new car and have a particular one in mind, then suddenly you notice them everywhere. But really, the subject of Destiny has come up more now than ever, and I sense being a part of something bigger than myself.

Here is the definition of Destiny:des-tin-y: something that happens to a particular person or thing - pre-determined, inevitable or irresistible course of events - the power that determines the course of events.The thing that strikes me about destiny and so many of these words, the thing that makes them mysterious, is the paradoxical (a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true) nature of the idea of destiny.On one hand the Divine hand guides our steps. Ephesians 2:10 TPT says:

We have become his poetry,
a recreated people that will fulfill
the destiny he has given each of us,
for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One.
Even before we were born,
God planned in advance our destiny and
the good works we would do to fulfill it!"

On the other hand, as Tony Robbins says:

"It is in the moments of decision that your destiny is shaped."

 I've been thinking of the connection of desires and destiny, and believe that God plants desires in our hearts as seeds of destiny and invites us to cooperate and collaborate with Him to bring those God-given desires to fulfillment[vc_column_text]It's been a timely study of destiny. The foundation is we can never go wrong with love. "Love is our true destiny," Thomas Merton says, and I agree.

A favorite passage came to life in a deeper way:

"Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you?
The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth.
The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere.
The fragrance of their flowers whispers, "There is change in the air."
Arise my love, my beautiful companion,
and run with me to the higher place.For now is the time..."

Song of Songs 2:13 TPT

The pages were finished with Gelatos® applied with a bristle brush and my soon to be available 6x6" Spirit Wind Stencil by StencilGirl Products®. I received the stencil prototype and am thrilled with this smaller version. A larger 9x12" version is currently available, and a smaller 4x4 coordinating stencil (shown in the Mystery of Creativity post) will also be available soon. The Gelatos® are from the Iridescents set, colors: Satellite, Nebula, and Comet.The figure on the right page is also a stencil I designed by StencilGirl®. The same stencil is used for my Psalm of the year, also speaking of destiny, shown in the Bible journal page below. There is a how-to step-by-step demonstration of this page and many others in the Bible Journaling with Stencils & More e-course.

"Night's darkness is dissolving away as a new day of destiny dawns..."

Romans 13:12 TPT