Karma Isn't Punishment & You Can't Have Karma Without Reincarnation

The concept of karma is often misunderstood. It's not about
punishment. That would imply there's a judging God and we
don't believe that, nor do other experts in the field, such as
Brad Steiger, Richard Sutphen, Dr. Ian Stevenson, Dr.
Raymond Moody, Dr. Leo R. Sprinkle, and numerous others.

Whenever you feel that something in your life is unfair, keep
asking why until you perceive the situation more clearly and
understand the root reasons. Not the surface reasons, but the
deeper and past life reasons; what started it all. Keep asking,
and meditate on why.

For example, a family member refuses to respect your basic
human rights, to the point of blatant abuse on a consistent
basis. You forgive her, you express tolerance, but she still
continues, frequently disturbing your peace of mind and
tossing in additional challenge in your already demanding
daily routine.

Why? You think to yourself that you've never treated anyone
this way in your life (this one, at least), and that you can't
imagine acting that way to her or anyone else. However,
know that one's personality in this life is not the same as
personalities in prior lives. A "saint" in this life could
very well have been the opposite in prior lives, before
learning the value of honesty and respecting others, for
example.

Initially you get zero insight about the matter, but then
impressions slowly start to form through meditation. You
intuit that it could be one, or both, of two different notions:
you dished out a similar challenge to her in previous lives
and, or you agreed to this circumstance before incarnating to
help you develop your level of compassion and acceptance.
Does this awareness make it go away? No, but it allows you
to further understand the matter and therefore garner more
forgiveness, for yourself and others.

It's not about what happened to you, it's about why. When
you understand why you (yes you, on a soul, not personality
level) chose to experience the situations, conditions and the
lessons involved, it becomes much easier to handle. With
awareness comes compassion, and compassion leads to
forgiveness. Taking full responsibility for all circumstances
in your life and forgiving yourself and others will set you free.

Copyright © 2007 Scott Petullo, Stephen Petullo

You Can Choose Your Fate But Not Your Destiny

God has appointed a destiny for you. He created you for that purpose. You were designed for it. Your life experiences and all the things that influence you are moving you in a certain direction that you are meant to go. Life would be meaningless without things working that way. It is true that the meaning of life is the meaning we give to it. But it is also true that the meaning of life is inherent in the existence of the universe and our destiny which God created it with. It is all a matter of aligning our thoughts with the thoughts of God in order to experience the perfect meaning of everything.

Some say we have power to create our own reality, that through belief and intent we can and should specify our personal future. And yet experience shows reality is already predicated upon a design more elegant than anything we can specify through our temporal desires. Cosmic ordering doesn't always work because what you believe or hope for doesn't always happen and you do not always get what you expect to get.

Others therefore say we should go with the flow and accept what comes. And yet experience shows that while some things are destined, more mundane things are left to choice. Abandoning the responsibility to choose invites the influence of other powers to decide over your life with often unpleasant consequences. Some part of the future is alterable and another is not.

There is destiny and there is free will. They coexist. Destiny is a straight line. Free will is like an oscillating wave above and below that line. You are not forced to live your destiny but you are tethered to it. You can imagine that time has you hooked on a fishing line. You can swim left or right, ahead or back away but you ultimately are getting reeled in. With that in mind, focus on the fact that ultimately you will live out at least some of your destiny. Now think about destiny as a process not a destination. Your destiny is an unfolding story that shapes who you become.

The bigger things in life we cannot change. The smaller things we can. Life is a river whose flow we cannot reverse, yet we have freedom to navigate within that flow. Near the shore we move slowly and roughly, near the center we move quickly and smoothly. We can humbly accept the bigger things and still actively direct the smaller things.

How do you know your destiny? By knowing your desire. Your desires were divinely placed within you. Your destiny is a natural extension of you being. You were designed for your destiny. When you look into your true feelings, you will find that your destiny feels right with you and feels right for you. Your destiny is where your heart is truly moving you towards. Follow your heart and you will realize your destiny.

Even though you have been given a destiny, was created and designed for it, you can still choose whether to follow it or not. We cannot choose our destiny which we were created with, but we can choose our destiny by accepting or denying it. Even if we do not choose to follow our destiny, we will still fulfill it to a certain extent because divine influence arranges circumstances to happen in such a way that our choices and actions still result in the fulfillment of our purpose. The difference is that we may not have been able to enjoy every single one of the blessings that we could have experienced if we had chosen to do what we were meant to do.

No one gets to choose his destiny but everyone gets to choose his fate. You get to choose whether your ending is good or bad, and whether your experience is good or bad. Everyone's destiny is always good. Choosing to follow your life's purpose will always bring you to a place of glory, happiness and perfection. As long as you are moving in that direction, watch the universe bless you with all the things you need in order to fulfill your dreams.

There is only one place where destiny can be changed. That place is at Calvary where Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins that all who believe in him as savior will be born of God. Their destiny will no longer be the same for it will be in Christ. Everyone's destiny is good in this world but not everyone's destiny will be good in the world to come. The effect of salvation is upon all people but only those who make the choice of believing in the Son of God in this world will secure eternal life, both in this world and for the world to come. Only when your destiny is found in Christ will it be a perfect destiny.