When bad things happen to us, it's easy to think that it either happened for no reason at all and it was simply unjust, or that it happened as some sort of punishment for something terrible we had done.
Sometimes, though, neither of those things are true. Sometimes, a bad thing happens as a means to inspire us toward something better. It's something you can't know until you're looking at that bad thing in the rear-view mirror, but it's the bad times that shape us just as much as the good ones.
We know we can't change the past, we still have plenty of influence over our future. While your purpose may still be obscured from view, you can still receive the right guidance toward it.
Using the art of numerology, you can learn all about the path you were set on from the day you were born. Click here to learn more and see where you were destined to go, and where you can still reach.
There's a fascinating intersection that sometimes takes place between destiny and inspiration. In the face of terrible events, those who survive them often feel inspired to go on and do something that will later help those in the same or similar situation. When looking at the big picture, this may appear as destiny.
There's not a better example of this than Montana Brown, a young woman who went through a number of harrowing times during her childhood only to emerge stronger on the other side.
Brown, now 24 years old, has survived cancer not only once, but twice.
The first time was when she was only two years old. She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, which affects someone's connective tissue. Her family had to decide what to do for her at that age and chose to go the route of chemotherapy, which did work at the time, and her cancer went into remission.
Cut to 13 years later, and it came back.
The same type of cancer popped back up, and she chose to do chemotherapy once again, needing a year of treatments before she would be clear once again.
She had to sacrifice a lot at that age in order to receive treatment. She gave up her competitive cheerleading track, something that meant a lot to her, as she had recently moved to a new school after her parents moved.
It was a sacrifice that paid off though, as she beat cancer a second time and hasn't faced it again since.
These experiences made her realize something very important.
When speaking to TODAY about her journey, she explained how the nurses at her treatment center, the Aflac Cancer Center, were also so kind and compassionate. They helped her through so much, and she wanted to help others in turn.
So, she set her sights on becoming a nurse. "Around 10th or 11th grade, I started thinking about what to major in. I knew I wanted to help people and I knew that I wanted to use my story to help others and give them hope and inspiration."
"The more that I thought about it, I knew being a pediatric oncology nurse would be the greatest field for me."
Not only did she succeed in becoming a nurse through her schooling, but she landed a job at the very same place where she had beat cancer so many years ago.
Caroline Rooke, manager of nurses for hematology and oncology at the Aflac Cancer Center, said, "After meeting Montana, knowing her story and hearing her response to her own journey, we knew that she would be the next best addition to our team. And would enhance the care experience that we can offer our patients."
Brown was beyond excited to be welcomed onto the very same team that helped her not only survive cancer twice, but endure over a year's worth of chemotherapy treatments.
Speaking to ABC News, she said, "The nurses here, as great as they were when I was two — from what my mom says — they were extremely loving and caring and compassionate. And, just the love they showed me and my family in our time of need just really helped me. So, it helped me want to become as kind and as caring and as compassionate as they were for me."
Her story is nothing short of inspiring, and though we expect things like care and compassion from nurses and other healthcare workers, that isn't always what happens. Because Brown was shown such love and kindness from the team that took care of her, she now knows how important sharing that same love with patients under her care will be, and how much of a difference it can make in their lives.
Her story is one of resilience, one of empathy, and one of destiny. Had she not faced those hardships, who knows if she'd have that same drive to help others?
Knowing one's destiny and the result of the things that happen to us is near impossible, but there are some ancient arts that can grant insight into your future.
Arts like that of reading the stars, the classic zodiac chart. Using just your date of birth, you can learn all sorts of hidden secrets about your life and know what's yet to pass. Prepare yourself for the future and know what your destiny has in store!
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