CHAPTER NINE
SECOND CHANCES
When faced with having to make a decision, most people remain fairly calm through the duration and are usually not too disappointed with the results. Seeking advice from others is certainly not out of the norm nor would it be considered wrong. Trying to go through these things alone has its merit, but if you can confide in friends or seek professional advice then by all means do so. Hopefully the outcome of this will be all you had hoped for.
God is credited for being the one most people turn to at these times. The lessons to be learned from seeking Heavenly guidance are those that one takes from one experience to the next each with it own impressive testimony and with gained wisdom.
If on the other hand you have had a bad experience due to lack of faith in Our Heavenly Father, rest assured that He has not forsaken you and you may just have a second chance to make things right. Let me make this perfectly and emphatically clear, I do not make any decisions for God, nor do I suggest that anyone be so presumptuous to even attempt such a foolish act. Such efforts can only spell doom, and may result in a manageable problem becoming impossible and leave one in a jumble of misgivings and misfortune.
To be so impatient as to race ahead of God’s calendar can have dire consequences and leave you with a shameless detachment from God’s protective hand. Now you have only your shortcomings as an accomplice with you having to muddle through the muck and mire. It is not unusual to find some bewildered scout galloping across no-man’s-land between wit and lack of common sense.
It is natural for such a temperament to find its self ensconced in a rough journey where one is blind to any rational thinking that may come their way, or for them to suddenly become a fanatical ecumenical. Unlikely but is not unheard. They may even surround themselves with an excess of religious artifacts hoping to derive some attention from Heavenly powers. Honestly, this is not the way to be looked on favorably by The Divine. His desires are for us to have a personal relationship with Him, and be a true child of The Father. Conversations with Him should be from the heart and not engulfed with ritual, but rather with sincere invocation and faith. Confess your sins to Him and praise Him for the love you have so freely received by His grace. There is nothing wrong with making an effort to purify yourself and seek Him for your needs. He is always there listening to your every prayer.
Also, feeling unaccountable for past wrongs is not the path to travel. We are all responsible for our wrong doings as well, as the good deeds we engage in. I pray just as a matte of our walk with our Lord that the latter far outweigh the former, for all of us. This is not superstition when many seem compelled to make things right with God before embarking on beseeching Our Lord for help in any given situation. Such comes with Biblical admonition. I see it as good practice and a way of staying right with the things of God. So making this a part of your spiritual life will, I am certain, prove itself to be a good decision.
However, getting back to second chances; whatever you do, do not let this become a crutch when it comes to making choices, by being so cavalier thinking that if you make a mistake you always have another chance! Be thoughtful and circumspect when a decision is in the process of being made. Having a nonchalant attitude could spell trouble if you should overlook an important bit of information by being distracted because of a lack of attention or interest.
On this subject alone I could site dozens of examples and end up with volumes about it. It is a nasty part of the human condition to be easily distracted. Attention span isn’t just relegated to the classroom, it fans out over the full spectrum of our lives. Everyone has a story about not paying attention and having some consequence befall them. So keep in mind that it covers all the things we engage in and can have both good and bad endings with it.
(continued next month.)
