Have you ever felt that your life was on a course that you could not alter?  That your fate was somehow sealed and you just weren't meant to succeed, or be happy?

There are many people who go through life living as hapless victims of fickle fate.

When was the last time you heard someone say, "I can't get a job, because no one will hire me." or "My marriage failed because I can't do anything right."  These are the often echoed laments of the hopeless.

I once read that we should beware of fate, because it loves to take advantage of anyone who believes in it.  When you cast your future to the winds of fate, you will be taken advantage of.   Fate is not your master, especially when fate is used as an excuse for low aspiration or under-achievement.

To be more correct, your life is what you make it.  We can find countless stories of people from poor and difficult backgrounds that have gone on to make major contributions to society and commerce. There are others from very advantaged backgrounds who essentially do nothing with their opportunities.  It’s not fate that determines their outcomes; it's the decisions of the individual. I also believe in the providential leadings of God.  But not even God can force you to make good decisions.

One man wrote, "If fate throws a knife at you, there are two ways of catching it, by the blade or by the handle."  If you catch it by the blade, you'll feel victimized.  But if you catch it by the handle, you'll feel empowered.   Either way, the choice of how you respond to life is yours.  You can choose to take control of your future, or to forever live like a victim.  Life will not always be kind or fair.  But until you choose to take control of your tomorrow, to grab the knife by the handle, you will never know what could have been.  Only to experience what will never be.