By Demetrius Moffett

 

If we were to go back into time, is there anything that we would change? Would we make some different choices and decisions? What would be the outcome? How would it change our history?

I submit that we don’t have to turn back the hands of time to change the digital display of time tomorrow.

It’s been said that history repeats itself. If we take the time to assess the results of history we will be able to rewrite the recipe of history.

Let me unpack this for you.

Just because history repeats itself the results don’t have to.

Any time we allow for the results of history to repeat itself we will never move forward. We know that we have slavery, prejudice and hatred in our history. If we look very closely, these same characters of history are looking to make a repeat performance. Have we learned from their previous performances? Are they commodities soaring on the stock markets of humanity? Have we become so catatonic concerning the results of our history that we have lost the courage to rewrite the results.

How many more traumatic events must we suffer before we begin to rewrite the recipes? How many more lives must be taken before we accept that racial and social prejudice is a recipe for nothing positive?

The children of Israel were taken into slavery simply because of fear and insecurity.

Exodus 1:8-10 records “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”

There are several key points we can learn from looking at this text to rewrite the recipe of our history.

First, we need to put forth more effort to get to know our neighbors, co-works, church members and especially our extended family.

Secondly, embrace and employ the strength of others, particularly those who are going in the same direction as we are.

Thirdly, allow for the process of befriending to be our first objective when interacting with others.

If we are to change the culture of our community, it’s time to rewrite the recipe.