How does God line us up to find and fulfill our Purpose? Do the circumstances of our lives point us to our Destiny? Could our Purpose be a matter of our lineage? Are there people along our life’s journey who point us to our Calling?

Genesis 11:27-31 Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah.’ Now Sarai was barren, she had no children.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. Terah had two surviving sons, Abram and Nahor. The Bible records that Sarai had no children, but is silent about Milcah – which goes to say, she had children.

At the point of leaving Ur, Terah took with him only Abram and Sarai; and his grandson, Lot. Could it be that Abram and Sarai, not having children, were ‘lighter’, more available for the journey? Could it be that what seems like a great disadvantage will one day work in your favor? Could it be that what seems like a gaping deficiency places you strategically to be found somewhere you ordinarily would not be?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

God uses every element of our journey – yes, even those glaring flaws and unmet needs – for the fulfillment of His purposes.

It’s interesting to note that while Terah’s intention when leaving Ur was to go to Canaan, he came to Haran – and dwelt there. Terah actually died in Haran, having not quite achieved his goal.

Genesis 11:31-32 … and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

But then, it looks like Terah’s call – to go to Canaan – was not a personal vision, but a genealogical call that would his beckon his generations.

Genesis 12:5 Then Abram took his wife Sarai and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

Could it be that aside from Abram hearing from God, Terah in the years at Haran, had spoken to Abram about his intended pilgrimage to Canaan? Could it that the burden of the pilgrimage was handed from one generation to the next? Could it be that the DNA of Terah’s calling was unconsciously crafted into Abram in their moments of interaction?

For some of us, our gifting and callings stem from the lineage we belong to. Our genetic make-up favors us to naturally incline to certain professions and callings. Some of this comes from observation, having watched those ahead of us, and imbibing their dreams and passions. Other times, our forerunners quietly groom us – in their quest to have their kin walk in their shoes. Whichever way, this Seed is a Call which will not go away. At the right time, given the right environment, the Seed will sprout. Purpose will be fulfilled.

After living in Canaan and growing steadily in their possessions, Abram and Lot, were forced to part ways. Upon parting ways, Lot settled in Sodom, while Abram remained in Canaan. The land of Sodom was later attacked, and Lot was among those held captive. When Abram heard about this turn of events, he marshaled an army and went out to rescue Lot. Abram victoriously achieved his mission – bringing back Lot and his goods, as well as the people who were with him. His victory caught the attention of the King of Sodom, and Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who was also a high priest. King Melchizedek went on to pronounce a blessing upon Abram.

Abram’s encounter with greatness was as a result of his selfless act of saving his nephew; and his exemplary strategy that saw the defeat of the enemy.

Proverbs 22:9 Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.

Just like it happened for Abram, life will present us with opportunities that will test our heart for service, and our willingness to go the extra mile. The path to our encounter with greatness is marked Service, Humility, Excellence. No one knows when the opportunity will strike, the secret is in embracing these values and always being prepared to take the Test.

Tom Mzungu

It would be a great injustice not to acknowledge one Mr. Tom Mzungu, a veteran journalist, who unconsciously passed the baton, and without whom – I probably would never have written. A man I watched passionately pen articles, and who instilled in me a love for reading. Daddy, I wish you were here to see the Dream reignited. I wish you were here to encourage me, to cheer me on – like only you would. From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to God for the blessing of being your “understudy”, never knowing that one day, the Call to write would come beckoning, and that technology would allow me to ‘own’ my space.

My story is a story of God using deficiency – an unanswered prayer – for His glory. My gifting was rediscovered at a time when I was out of employment, strategically placing me to be available to answer to a need. My story is a story of a chance encounter with greatness – my ‘chief cupbearer’ who called out my gifting while in the Prison of Life. My story is a story of being in the lineage of a gifted forerunner, a trail-blazing journalist in post-colonial Kenya.

Destiny. Purpose. Calling. It’s hidden in our deficiencies, in the lows of our lives. It’s hidden in our lineage. It’s hidden in our service. It’s hidden in our encounter with greatness.

Destiny. Purpose. Calling. It has no definite location … you find it in the Journey. Bon Voyage!