It’s another decently early morning and I’m thinking about my full schedule. Something will give to make room for something more important. Right? This simply means important projects slide to the back burner of life until the more urgent items are completed. When life is loaded, I’ve found, I need some second chances to approach the day more adequately prepared than previously thought. It’s almost as if I need a running start to grab hold of the ring of second chances.
What do I need Second Chances of doing?
I’m glad you asked. For many of us, we reach a certain status and time of life and we wish for that infamous Mulligan. You may not know the term, but golfers like me are given second chances on hitting the ball better. A second chance to get it right. In my aging world, I’ve reached the time of looking at how to do something better than I did it when I started. Today I wish I had better prepared to face retirement, pastor my church, fulfill my dreams, think better about this particular time and place of life.
So. I’m stepping out this year and facing some personal challenges and dealing with taking a second chance on doing something I’ve wanted and needed to do.
Some of my best book choices of life came from a used book store that was looking for a second home for those stacks of ancient books… Think about it!
Second Chances
2021…I’m here to handle my life with a second chance of dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s” better than I ever planned.
Personal Organization. If the past several years have taught me anything, it’s that I need to have a handle on my personal space. That includes what I have, yearn for, and the endless clutter of stuff and things that hang like a divers weight belt on the long journey to the bottom of the sea. This is not just about stuff. It’s also about personal habits, nutrition, exercise, and rest!
Finances. My bride and I are fully prepared to step into retirement, but there are still irons in the fire we want to address so that this next season of life is better enjoyed. Now is the time, and there’s no time like the present!
Reading and Studying. 2021 is finally a year of facing a daunting reading and study habit to finish my decades-long love of studying the Apostle Paul. It’s taken me a few weeks into this new year to formulate my thinking, but I’m reading a book by N.T. Wright discussing the biography of Paul. Perhaps you want to check it out. As my new study takes shape, I have a plan on how to document the apostle’s life, mission journeys, and writings. I’m going to lay out his life in chronological order and firm up my view of his life. Who knows? There may be a book of my findings I’ll share by the end of this year.
Relationships. There are no holes in my relationships that I know of, but there are many ways of making things better. Communication is always the key. I’ve created some habits along the way, but I want to do better. Be better.
How About You?
These are just some samples of my focus for this year of what social security now calls my “full retirement” age. That’s when I can declare my time of gainful employment is over (well, it’s been over for a number of years!), and take my retirement stipend and enjoy the remaining years.
Still. How about you? There’s no time like the present to consider some second chances.
Scriptural Examples
I was thinking about Judas. He’s an enigma in my studies. For nearly the same amount of time as the other disciples, he had been with Jesus, watched and heard, and felt the excitement of the miraculous. Still, he planned on turning Jesus over to the temple authorities. Why? Perhaps he wanted to usher in the kingdom and watch Jesus take his rightful place as the Messiah and Savior? Or, he harbored something from his background and simply wanted to take Jesus down. Who knows…
What I do know, even after he identified Jesus to the authorities, he could have repented and been forgiven. Why? Why wouldn’t he?
The bible is full of those who received second chances. Perhaps every story revolves around the opportunity of someone making right steps from their wrong position of life.
- Peter finally realized how well the Lord knew him when that cock finally crowed and he ran into the night weeping and cursing – only to find Jesus cooking on the shores of Galilee and he has some quiet moments with him that are restoring. Second Chance!
- From the belly of that great fish, Jonah calls out to God, asks for forgiveness, and ends up on the shore – albeit, he needed to have a great cleaning! A Second Chance!
- The prophet Nathan affirms David is the man of his parable who has wronged his fellow man, and David agrees… I am the man. He pays the price of his wrong, but he has a second chance to approach life a better person. A Second Chance!
My Final Thought
We all need second chances. If God so readily gives us that opportunity, should we not also give it to others. Even ourselves? We are often our own worst judge, jury, and executioner on our own faults and failures. Perhaps you simply need to learn to give yourself a second chance to do things over. Better than before, and you’ll be better than you ever thought possible.
Perhaps you simply need to learn to give yourself a second chance to do things over. Better than before, and you'll be better than you ever thought possible. Share on XPerhaps you know what it should take for a second chance, but unless you step up to the moment you will probably never enjoy life until you take a second chance.
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