Is one's history prophetic?

Many people enjoy reading, especially reading biographies because one can see within that person's childhood influences and sketches of what is to become the man or woman. However, can one always predict the future in light of the past? Or is one's past simply a prologue that can be dismissed?
This question is one of utmost importance for us to use to examine our own lives. Everyone has a past, a history. I have a path behind me that is 23 years long, and you have one that is ____ years long. This path is my own history. Your path is your history, you own it. Thus, does your history give you evidence of why you can expect God's hand of grace and blessing upon your future? Or does your history suggest something else, something less hopeful? This is what we must have in mind as we study the book of Deuteronomy.