A Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong, you are great, you are the most high, you are almighty.
You, Holy Father, are King of Heaven and Earth.
You are Three and One, all good.
You are good, all supreme good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love, you are wisdom.  You are humility, you are endurance.
You are rest, you are peace.
You are joy and gladness, you are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and you suffice for us.
You are beauty, you are gentleness.
You are our protector, you are our guardian and our defender.
You are courage, you are our haven and hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are eternal life, great and wonderful Lord,
God almighty, merciful Savior.

by St. Francis of Assisi
-from Jesus, Be the Center, by Rev. Eunice McGarrahan
This is a great descriptions of God.

How Many Second Chances??

How many second chances does a person deserves?  When someone lies to you, do you give him a second chance?  A third chance?  If a woman cheats on her husband, should he forgive her?  (Check with Hosea on that.)  If a recovering drug addict lies to her probation officer, does she deserve another chance?  If someone in your church was accused of a felony, would you forgive him?

Grace and forgiveness are all about second chances.  We tend to think that we deserve unlimited second chances from God, but others don’t deserve as many second chances.

In the movie Abel’s Field, 17-year-old Abel lost his Mom to an accident, and his Dad abandoned him and his 2 younger sisters.  He works 2 jobs to make ends meet, while trying to care for his younger sisters.  At school, he endures bullying from football players, and when he fights back, he’s singled out for punishment by the coach who makes Seth work with a groundskeeper, Abel, to prepare the football field for the big game.

Abel turns out to be the positive mentor that Seth needed.  Abel’s past decisions and costly actions have left him sadder and wiser.  Abel is installing a football field sprinkler system.  Seth is facing troubles and leaning toward answers Abel knows won’t work.  Through his relationship with Abel, Seth receives a mentor and another chance.

I don’t know about you, but in my life, I’ve needed a lot of second chances.  In middle school, my attitude and mouth got me into trouble with my parents and a small number of teachers.  No one was projecting my future as a college-graduate or as one with pastoral potential.  Nor did I deserve any more second chances, but I discovered God’s grace because of a few who kept giving me second chances. 

Thank back on your life.  Somewhere along the way, I’ll bet there were people who gave you some second chances that you didn’t deserve.  But by God’s grace, those second chances were offered, and you accepted the opportunities.  Is there someone in your life who deserves another chance?  A young person with an up-and-down past who has made multiple mistakes?  A teen with a tattoo who looks to you for advice?  

Matthew 18: 21-35 and Psalm 86:15 show that God is a God of second chances, and that God expects his people to extend second chances to others.  Who in your life is ready to make the most of another chance?