For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. — Romans 14:8
Not long ago, there was a person on one of my teams at work who was trying to accomplish something. They understood the goal and what was expected. Unfortunately, the way they set out to accomplish the goal was completely wrong.
In the end, things became an absolute mess. After trying to fix it on their own, they came to me and asked if I could help them figure it out. They explained all that they had done, and after just a few moments, I realized the mistake. Instead of considering all the details of the situation, they had only considered their own viewpoints.
I explained the oversight and gave a few words of encouragement. Those words ended with the statement, “Go try again. Thankfully, you have a second chance.” They set out with renewed focus and accomplished their goal.
There are many people who will say to live life with no regrets because you do not get a second chance. Those words are simply not true. In fact, we can probably all say that we have moments of regret in our lives. Regret for the things we have done, or haven’t done. But most importantly, we have all been given the gift of a second chance to live a life for God.
We often focus on our failures, but God isn’t focused on the failure. No matter what the sin may be, if you have asked for forgiveness, it is forgiven! Instead of focusing on the failure, God is focused on today. Go try again. Thankfully, we serve a God of second chances!