David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (II Samuel 12:13 ESV)
Second Chances and Faith
In an unused field outside of Florence, Michelangelo dumped half-formed but ruined statues of David. The chisel and hammer are unforgiving. Perhaps sculpting really is simply chipping away everything that does not look like your subject. But ‘oops’ is not a word we like to hear a sculping artist say.
There are rarely second chances in the middle of heart surgery. Rarely does a quarterback have the opportunity to replay those last two seconds of the big game. Investors do not get their money back when the public does not prefer an Edsel over a Chevy.
However, second chances are common with God. David’s sin surrounding Bathsheba is only one example. The Bible is full of such stories. God loves to give second chances. He calls it grace. He calls it mercy.
And while the Bible gives us absolute examples to believe, our own lives are also filled with God letting us start over. To try again. To return to a fresh beginning.
Salvation itself is the second chance for God’s people. Christ’s life, death, and life are God’s plan to return us to an improved eternal Eden. Improved because this time around, after we are glorified, we will not sin.
When we feel the anguish of our sin, like David admit it, and receive God’s second chance. When the effects of your sin, as well as others’ sins, bring you to your knees, bleeding by the side of life’s road, remember God’s forgiveness in the past and lift your eyes to the Gracious One. Find a second chance.
Take the Faith God grants us.