The author of many best selling books Leo Buscaglia counsels, "The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position."

Contrary to the easiness of being self and the countless advantages attached to it, many preachers, motivational speakers, and counselors are still investing lots of resources and time to help people know who they are and its importance. This article is not about how you discover your God-given purpose. However, we encourage you to venture in this golden journey if you never took time to know your destiny.

However, not only we encourage you to know yourself but to pursue it till you get fulfilled. In your pursuit to your predestined purpose on earth, you have to resist the temptation of copying others and/or listening non-profiting advices from others. Once you know it for sure and God’s Spirit confirms you inside, know that the resisting forces gain momentum. The devil becomes anxious and brings lots of temptations and confrontations so that you may drop your predestined purpose. He knows that you won't get fulfilled without it. All hell starts to lose. While you are on your right track and marching forward till you achieve your destiny, the pressure and persecution from all corners intensifies.

All along the way and till you crown yourself as God predestined you; there is a constant effort you should make if you desire to reach the top of your destiny mountain where you stand the flag of fulfillment. One of the challenges, as the aforementioned quotation mentioned, is the untiring attempt of others to define who you are and how you should act and interact. At some point in their life, great leaders and restorers the world has known might have been victims of this syndrome but they didn't remain that way forever. We might be in that situation now and wondering what went wrong. There is nothing wrong. But like those leaders who overcame those moments and made their way to live after who they meant to be, let’s endure and move forward.

From His birth till the last minute when Jesus was on earth, people including His closest not only did they misunderstood but tried to shape Him their way. They considered Him as an earthly king and strived to crown Him. Multitudes were following Him as a charity organizer because they were eating fresh and tasty foods (John 6: 26 - 27). Some thought He is one of the prophets and expected Him to talk, act, behave, and finish that way. His apostles, while He was almost ready to ascend, questioned Him when He would restore the government of Israel since they didn't recognize Him as the King over the Heavenly Kingdom. The list could continue. Jesus was well aware of His disciples’ confusion about His true identity and for what purpose He came though they had ample time to do so. He once wondered and asked Philip, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip?" (John 14: 9). That was why He also presented a serious quiz to all by asking, 'who do you say of me'? Knowing Jesus was misunderstood, He was in constant fight not to buy people's expectation. He maintained His identity and pursued His predetermined destiny to its very end. The question for us is when do we stop running here and there to know and do what others want us to be? When do we become strong enough to rediscover who we are and stand still even if the pressure escalates? The question could continue.......

Friend, not only He would have messed up His personal fulfillment but assume what would have happened to humanity if He bought their definition of who He was and compromised? Would there be a hope for humanity? Would there be a religion called Christianity? You name it.....What about you? Do you know that your compromise in becoming who you are affects more than yourself? Most importantly, are you watchful and bold enough to resist when you are miss-defined by others? Who do you think the number one in the list that tries to define you and hand out what you should be and doing? Before the Pharisees conspired to crucify Him, the offer to drop His crucifixion- the very purpose Jesus came to restore and redeem us- came from a cool person, His beloved disciple: Peter. The same in your case; don't look far! While you remain watchful of lots of factors that try to shape your destiny, don't undermine the people you hang out and things you watch, read, and listen. Don't misunderstand us, we are not saying that you should ignore others advises or we are not saying that you shouldn't learn from others. We are not also saying that your beloved ones do things that harm your destiny. They might be sincere in defining who you are and what you are capable of doing but don't forget that they may be sincere but sincerely wrong.

The point is, if Jesus allowed meeting the definition of people around Him, He would have missed His divine purpose. Rather, He fought back and maintained who He was and restored the human race back to God’s Kingdom and in its royal position as children of the Most High. Friend, while you are in the pursuit of your purpose, refuse to accept unhealthy moves from others in defining who you are, what you supposed to do, how you should behave and act. Go for your originality and authenticity if you are thirsty of a colorful destiny.