Your Past May Very Well Dictate Your Future

It is not often that I encourage people to look in the past. Sure there are past experiences that can certainly benefit our direction as we head into the future.

However, for the most part, if you are looking backwards, you can not be looking forward.

Here is an exception.

I strongly believe that we are not agents of coincidence.

That events do happen for a specific reason.

That timing is everything.

By moments.

Seconds even.

Find a copy of The Five People You Meet In Heaven, by Mitch Albom.

It is a fascinating book describing how one life affects another.

Even if we have never met the other person, what happened indirectly to us may have a direct effect on someone else.

March 30th, 1981.

Newly elected President Ronald Reagan had just completed a speech at the Washington Hilton.

President Reagan had only been in office for roughly nine weeks.

Secret Service agent Jerry Parr, a long time veteran of the Presidential detail, had initially decided not to go on this particular trip, but on second thought came along.

As President Reagan was exiting the hotel, he turned to answer a question from the media, and within seconds six shots were fired from the pistol being held by John Hinkley, Jr.

One bullet would critically injure Press Secretary James Brady, another would hit a police officer as well.

Other bullets from Hinkley’s gun would hit the Presidential limousine, with one ricocheting off the door as Secret Service Agent Jerry Parr was diving to protect President Reagan and get him into the car.

One bullet went through a half inch space between the door and the body of the car, striking the President.

The bullet entered under President Reagan’s arm, piercing his lung and stopping one inch from his heart.

Agent Parr pushed the President into the car and dove on top of him as the car sped away.

President Reagan was rushed to George Washington Hospital and underwent surgery to remove the bullet.

The interesting turn of events?

And these events are recorded in Peggy Noonan’s book on the life of Ronald Reagan, entitled, When Character Was King.

In the book, Noonan writes that many years prior to the assassination attempt on President Reagan’s life, a movie was made called Code Of The Secret Service.

In the movie, a young actor played the main character, Brass Bancroft.

A young kid saw the movie, and it made such an impression on him that he decided then and there he wanted to be a Secret Service agent and one day protect the President Of The United States.

As the title of this entry stated, Your Past May Very Well Dictate Your Future.

The young actor portraying the heroic Secret Service Agent?

A young actor named Ronald Reagan.

The young kid who was inspired to be a Secret Service Agent?

Jerry Parr.

In Noonan’s book, she describes that after the assassination attempt, Agent Jerry Parr shared his childhood experience that made him want to be an agent with the President.

Parr said to President Reagan, “By making that picture you became the instrument of your own destiny.”

If actor Ronald Reagan did not make that movie years before, then President Ronald Reagan might very well have died, except for the heroic actions of Jerry Parr.

What indirect actions have you taken in the past that may directly affect your future?

We do not live out lives of coincidence.

No single life has ever been born as an accident.

We each represent a plan.

A divine design.