George is on a mission. He has to talk to the girl of his dreams, because Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan told him so. It is either do that or Vader will melt his brain. So George walks into the diner and over to the booth where his love interest sits, and emphatically states, “I’m your density…I mean, I’m your destiny.” George McFly has begun his journey of destiny that will end with him kissing Lorraine near the end of the movie Back to the Future.
We talk about destiny quite a bit, even if at times it is done in jest. We’ve all heard, “It was destined to be this way,” or perhaps, “My team was destined to win.” To think seriously like this though, is to act as if we go through life at the mercy of luck. But is that true? Do we live dependent on chance, luck, fate? I believe the moment we surrender to fate is the moment we stop pursuing purpose. And when we stop pursuing purpose, all kinds of bad things happen. More about that in a moment.
Douglas MacArthur promised, “I shall return.” President Kennedy challenged, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Martin Luther King Jr said, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.” These men understood that to truly lead, you must have purpose.
MacArthur had to flee the Philippines, but he vowed to come back. He made it his number one purpose. Kennedy reminded his listeners that purpose is not fulfilled through the benefit of receiving, but rather through how much the individual gives back. King perhaps said it best…if you end up being a janitor, then become the best janitor you can possibly be.
Every great leader understands that leadership and development is not about themselves, it is about others. They also understand that leadership involves purpose and intentionality, not about leaving the outcome to chance or fate, or in this case, destiny. Leaders need to believe that how they interact and communicate with others is not left to chance. Imagine if MacArthur wagered his return on chance. He would have failed. So do leaders when they are not intentional and purposeful. When they fail at that, they can find ourselves on a lonely journey, leading no one. When that happens, many things come into question…their integrity, their reason, among others. But those who lead with purpose attract others, to the point where they are able to successfully pass the baton to the next generation.
George and Lorraine made a strange pair in the past, but George had one thing right. They were meant to be together. They would marry and have a good life “in the future”. So George really was Lorraine’s density…I mean, her destiny.
Faith, Leadership, and History 