Jan 7th 2014

Do Over!

Remember when you were a kid playing with your friends, and your turn at marbles or hopscotch or double dutch came? And you completely overshot, or stepped on a line, or got tangled in the rope? But instead of giving up, you shouted “do over!” And it meant you got another turn. No one argued with you, because everyone understood that “do over” was a completely accepted part of the game.

Our relationship with God is sorta like that. Each morning we step to the line, eager to do our best, to give it our all, to be a better person, to give up a bad or self-defeating habit, to be nice to people, to be understanding, to be grateful, to be sincere, to live as Christ lived, to love as Christ loved. And often, before we’ve been at it for two whole hours, someone has gotten on our nerves, shut the elevator door in our face, cut us off in traffic, wouldn’t listen to our comments. And our best intentions toward civility and self-improvement go right out the window.

And guilt comes right in, often followed by depression . . . How could I let this happen? I should have had more patience. I should have been nicer. I should have been stronger. I’ll just never get this right. Why do I even bother?

But the Scripture reminds us that even in our failings and shortcomings, God loves us just the same. In fact, His love is unending and unfailing! And because He loves us so much, He gives us a new chance every minute of every day to shout “Do Over!” So try again, start over … if God says you can, then who says you can’t?