A Product Of The Past

   Many psychologists and sociologists would state that we are a product of our past and our environment.  That the environment around us pre-programs us to respond in specific ways.  But God challenges the Israelites that they are to respond differently to the strangers.  In Exodus 22:21, God says, “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”  It is easy to say, “well, I was raised that way, I am the product of my past”.  Their past was not a reason to cause them to be the same as their brutish captors, but to learn from the experience to be better people, more God like in nature.  We are challenged, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”, Romans 12:21.
  There was to be no excuses for bad behavior, based upon past experiences.  The apostle Paul encourages us to “forget the negative experiences which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead”, Phil. 3:13.
  The notable Christian psychologist Alfred Adler said, “No experience is a cause of success or failure. We do not suffer from the shock of our experiences, so-called trauma – but we make out of them just what suits our purposes.”  With this in mind choose to seek our Lord Jesus, so that with His help, our past becomes a stepping stone to success and not an excuse for failure.