He Didn't Have to Become Hitler
What made Adolf Hitler -- Adolf Hitler? How does a man become a monster? Well, if you looked at Hitler's childhood you found out that he had a very stern, and at times brutal father. Hitler's father would regularly thrash him. The boy grew up with a vendetta against his father. And it's not hard, from that, to go to hating others, even entire peoples. So on one hand, it makes sense - cause and effect. But, on the other hand, there have been many others in history who have likewise been thrashed by their fathers and who didn't grow up to be monsters. How? They chose not to be defined by the bad, but by the good, not by the abuse of their childhood, but by the grace of their salvation. Don't be like Hitler. Be like Paul. He chose to define his life, not by his past, not by his circumstance, but by the grace of God. You are not a victim of your past. You are a recipient; if you choose, of the grace of God. You do the same. And you'll end up like the Apostle Paul, and not like Adolf Hitler.
From Message #630 - The Kingdom of Broken Crosses
Seek today not to be defined by your circumstances, but instead to define them by the power of God.
