We all love do-overs, don’t we? I can remember, as a child, asking for do-overs if I missed the ball, or stumbled in hopscotch, or tripped in a relay race. (Hmmm…I’m seeing a pattern here – with such uncoordinated athletic skills, no wonder I became a writer!)

Children aren’t the only ones who like do-overs. We adults appreciate them, too. Actually, isn’t that what the new year represents—a do-over? Another chance to get it right? And the “it” can be anything. Parenting your strong-willed child, being a more supportive spouse, organizing that junk drawer in the kitchen, losing those ten extra pounds and keeping them off (I know – maybe if I worked on those athletic skills, the ten pounds wouldn’t be an issue!). The bottom line is that every one of us has something we want a second chance at improving in our lives.

Someone else appreciates do-overs, too. God loves to give His children do-overs. It’s a simple enough process, and it’s laid out in I John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When I sin, my natural inclination is to run and hide. But God tells us to come to Him and call it what He calls it. He promises to forgive us and cleanse us. There’s no better do-over than that. It’s been said that God is a God of second chances. I’m glad He doesn’t stop at second chances. He gives us third chances and fourth chances and fifth chances and…well, you get the idea.

So the next time someone messes up—spouse, child, co-worker, neighbor—let’s remember God’s graciousness to us. May we be as quick to extend do-overs to others as God extends them to us!

Ava Pennington
www.AvaWrites.com