“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace…” Ephesians 1:7

God of Second Chances

In the summer of 1960, I played centerfield on my little league team. The very first game, a batter hit a long fly ball toward left-center. Running with my back to the infield, I froze as I got near the ball. It bounced into the fenceless outfield for a home run. I was embarrassed and disappointed, especially when the coach told me I should have caught it. For the longest time, I laid awake at night replaying the misplay in my head…over and over.

Seventeen years later, I was playing centerfield during a church camp softball game. With two outs in a middle inning, one of their sluggers clobbered a long fly ball toward left center. Déjà vu. Running with my back to the infield, I thought, “I’ve been here before.” This time I caught it, the crowd and my teammates cheered and even the hitter complimented my effort. Because of a second chance, I tasted redemption.

God does the same for us spiritually. When I trusted Jesus as my Savior, He made all my past moral failures simply disappear. They were washed away by His blood. But his grace continues to restore, even though I’ve already accepted him. I still mess up. I still fall short. I’m still a man in need of second chances. And when I run to Christ with an attitude of repentance and humility, He continues to forgive.

Do you need a second chance? Do you have moral failures you’ve wrestled with for years? Months? Weeks? Trust in Jesus. He is the God of second chances.

— Stanley A. Tucker