The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)
Starting Over and Hope
I never enjoyed chess as much as when I played with my grandfather. I made many mistakes while learning chess. And he always reacted to my errors with the same advice, “We start over with the next game.”
Few things give us that opportunity. Our gardens do not simply start over if we overwater. Our cars still need body-repairs the day after our fenders have bent. Our checkbooks do not refill if we overspend our budget. Our lasagna can not be restarted if we leave out the oregano.
But the most important thing in life, a relationship with God, will always be fresh in His mind… tomorrow, the next hour, the next minute, the next moment.
His steadfast love, no matter our arrogance, begins again. His mercy, no matter our repetitive rebellions, begins again. His faithfulness, no matter our infidelity, is limitless.
This is how we live in hope. We start over with the next game.
Take the hope God grants us.