Back Story

Everyone has a back story.  That is a story of some event or incident in the past that shapes how a person is in the present.  We find back stories in the Bible.  Joseph's back story included being sold by his brothers into slavery, being falsely accused by his boss's wife, having someone he helped while in prison forget about him once they are out, etc.  You get the picture.  Somewhere along the line Joseph realized that God was the author of all that happened to him and he accepted it.  Not everyone figures that out though.  Paul had an enormous back story.  Can you imagine him showing up to preach, teach or start a church and his reputation preceding him there?  Somehow he was able to overcome his lurid past of subjecting believers to prison or worse and become effective as a disciple of Christ.

Some childhood trauma might make a person gun-shy when it comes to relationships.  An accident might make someone doubly careful when driving or make them a back seat driver when they are a passenger.  Most of the time the back story never gets shared except with a very few trusted confidants.  The result is that people judge others on their behavior or attitude NOW without knowing what led to such an attitude.

The next time you find yourself judging someone because of their behavior, attitude or conversation, ask yourself, "I wonder if there is a hidden reason, a back story, that led to this.  It just might make you more accepting of the individual."

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