Second chances….

And third and fourth and fifth…..

How many chances will we get to do the right thing? That depends on what the right thing is and who is defining the right thing. Chances are different than redos.Websters dictionary defines chance as “something that happens unpredictably without discernible human intention”. A redo is something “to do over or again”, (Webster’s Dictionary). A redo is something that takes place when we realize we missed the mark or may have misstepped. It’s intentional. A chance is something that is not intentional or planned by humans. Sometimes they go together. For example, throughout the Old Testament the people of Israel miss the mark and seek other gods and help from sources that are not God. Jeremiah chapters 2 and 3 are just 2 of the places that Israel’s foolishness is documented. At the time of their sin, they didn’t realize they needed to redo anything because they justified their actions. Our lives sometimes follow that path as well. That’s where the chance piece comes enters the picture. God gave them another chance to do better and stay focused on what He wanted them to do in order to have what He promised them they could have. Those chances came at times the Israelites were not expecting them and usually at their lowest points. God in his mercy and grace brought about opportunities that they didn’t know about in order to get them back on track. He didn’t just do it once; He did it as many times as needed to get their attention.

Our lives can be similar to this. We lose focus or follow the wrong path and needs a redo. Often times we don’t realize we need this redo until well into the mistake. There are times God brings those second, third, fourth, etc. chances about before we know we need it. Grace. Mercy. Redirection. We don’t know we need these things yet because we are simply surviving on the path we chose. We will thrive when we accept and follow God’s second chances and maybe not need to redo that lesson again!