Isaiah 61:1-3
[The Lord has anointed me] to comfort all who mourn… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. —Isaiah 61:2-3 (NIV)
When I interviewed with Jon for a job at his home-care company, I was struggling. He asked why I had left my previous job, which I had been fired from. I wish I could say that I admitted the truth, but I wasn’t quite that brave because I needed this new job. I told Jon that I hadn’t been given the resources to do what was expected of me at my previous job, so I felt that I needed to move on. This was true but not the whole truth. Jon hired me.
After working for him for a short time, the subject of my previous job came up again. With my heart pounding, I took a deep breath and decided to tell him the whole truth. Jon smiled and said, “I thought as much. I could read between the lines. But God is a God of second chances, and we are a company of second chances.”
In the Bible, there are many examples of people who got second chances. Rahab was a prostitute. David was a murderer. Paul persecuted Christians. Yet God worked through each of them. Through Jesus Christ, God offers us all second chances. May we use them to see the beauty in life, experience the joy of living, and give praise to God. And may we bless others with forgiveness, compassion, and kindness—giving them second chances too.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for showing us compassion. Help us to extend the same compassion and generosity to those around us. Amen.
Thought for the day: Just as God has done with me, I’ll give someone a second chance.
Sue Kerrigan (Washington, USA)
