Articles
Influence of the Past
Does our past define who we are or is it an obstacle we are expected to overcome?
Once upon a time there was a man who had the toughest of childhoods. His mother died when he was born and his father never forgave him for it. The boy would never know the tenderness of a mother’s love. Instead, he was raised by a stern, grudging father who wanted little to do with him. As he grew, he was a lonely boy, neglected and deserted by both friends and family alike. He only had imaginary friends to keep him company and not a real person to talk to. When he became a young man, his father sent him off to learn how to make his way in the world, with barely as much as a goodbye.
It’s a sad story, isn’t it? That’s a lot of trauma to deal with. What would you expect this man to become? What sort of character would you expect? It seems to me that society’s answer to those questions has changed over my lifetime. Long ago, the expectation would be that this man should rise above his childhood and his obstacles to become someone honorable and respectable. More recently, it seems that the expectation would be that the man could not be blamed for whatever he became. He would likely be diagnosed with some disorder and any misbehavior would be his father’s fault. He couldn’t help what was done to him and what it would ultimately do to him.
You know the man, by the way, and you know what becomes of him. His name is Ebenezer Scrooge. Tales are told of this fictional character but they are not told to justify his miserly ways. It does not truly matter why he became a lonely, crotchety, stingy, and greedy man. What he became was not justified by his past upbringing, regardless of how pitiful it had been. The story is about his need to change his ways before it was too late. At least, that’s how we used to see it. It seems today that stories are told to show that evil people are just misunderstood and their life journey is described to garner sympathy rather than as a warning. Isn’t it odd how A Christmas Carol used to be a perfectly acceptable and rational story but that isn’t how we would tell the story today?
So which is it? Are the ghosts in the story heroically trying to change Ebenezer or are they villains, further oppressing a man who suffered greatly as a child?
In the Bible we learn that we are responsible for our own behavior. We will give an answer for our deeds (II Cor. 5:10). Long ago, Ezekiel made it clear that we are individually responsible for ourselves. An evil father will not necessarily produce evil children (Ezek. 18:14-18) and good fathers will not necessarily produce good children (Ezek. 18:5-13). We choose what we become and we will give an answer for that choice.
Judgment informs our approach to Ebenezer Scrooge and to people today. Scrooge didn’t need to become a better person just to be better. His life was nearly over and he was being warned about what chains and torment he faced afterwards. He desperately needed to change. As a result, we, the observers, were not as moved to see justification of his behavior but rather saw the urgent need for him to overcome the influence of his tragic past. Judgment changes everything. It brings into focus what matters most.
While we hope to reach a point in our lives where we are truly pepared for judgment with no need to fear it (I John 4:17), perhaps the wisest thing we can ever do is to approach all our decisions in life with final judgment in mind (Ecc. 12:13-14). “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
Are you ready for that day?
