Gary & Mia Duran: A Profile In Destiny

These Destiny Profiles each highlight men and women who have embraced God’s unique purpose for their lives thus far. We hope that some aspect of their journey will relate to your own and give you courage to overcome any fear that may stand in the way.

Profile:

Gary and Mia Duran have been a part of the BACC fellowship for 16 years.  They have led a house church for over 15 years. Gary and Mia have helped four couples in the last 6 years find their destiny and develop a relationship with God.  They will be celebrating 20 years of marriage on May 14th.  They have 3 children – Jacob who is 15-years-old, and Tatum and Aaron who are both 13-year-old twins.  Jacob became a Christian in July 2013.  Gary is a high school teacher and the Director of Student Activities at Mount Eden High School.  Mia is an RDA in an orthodontic office.

What Is Your Favorite…

Scripture:  Gary – Matthew 9  |  Mia – Colossians 3:12

Character in the Bible:  Gary – Daniel  |  Mia – Mark 5:25 (the woman who believed)

 3 Destiny Questions:

1.  Why Me?

God has certainly moved through the Duran’s lives to impact countless others, but that doesn’t mean they never doubted along the way.

Like many of us, Gary had a hard time believing that God could really use him to help other people because of how he felt about himself beneath the surface: “On the outside, I appeared ‘put together,’ but on the inside I’ve felt bitterness, anger, and hate… I can doubt that God and people will love the real me.”

Often times, we can have a hard time trusting that God has chosen us. We instead think that we have to prove ourselves to God and to people. That’s when our destiny fades as we submit to a life of performance and perpetually trying to impress both God and people.

Mia’s past created similar doubts: “I always felt like I needed a college degree, a high-status career, the proverbial big house or fancy car in order to impress others. I’ve come from a background of abuse and emotional neglect, and can feel like these things define me more than God’s destiny for me to help other women.”

2.  Why Now?

Finding our destiny begins with identifying our fears, and then understanding what makes us hesitate.

Gary saw clearly the needs of the relationships around him, but he hesitated to be genuine with his friends until he accepted that honesty would have more of an impact than pretending to have it all together.

3.  Why Not?

Gary knew “that in order for my own kids to feel accepted for who they are, I would have to be become genuine and be myself.”

First he faced the fact that his marriage and relationship with God had become superficial. Then he decided to start dealing with his own emotions, the emotions in his home, and truths about his marriage. That was the moment of breakthrough.

Mia began to defeat her fears by simply deciding to commit herself to reading more of her Bible and praying more honestly about her true emotions and desires.

We learn that no fear can control you besides the one you keep hidden inside.