On second chances and do-overs

There have been races over these past 25 years which haven't turned out the way I wanted.

Whether it was a lack of preparation, poor race day hydration or fueling, catching a cold or the flu a few days prior, or just plain bad decisions which lead to mistakes on my part during the race, the bottom line is that I walked away disappointed with my effort and the result. I've come to know that I need to quickly put the day behind me, but at the same time dwell a bit on lessons learned to ensure "next time" turns out different. There are no such things as do-overs. I can come back the next year, better prepared, under different conditions, making better race day decisions, and have a much more successful race. But I can't go back and run the same race over and ask that my first effort be removed from the results. The result stands, and it's part of the risk that we take when we put ourselves out there in the arena of competition. It happens all the time with professional athletes; they can have one really bad game at the worst possible time, while the whole world is watching, and there is absolutely nothing that they can do about it afterwards. But we all love stories of redemption.... when that same athlete comes back under similar circumstances a year later and shines on the big stage, there's just something about that which makes the moment so much sweeter.

We don't get do-overs in life; we can't turn back the clock and eliminate mistakes, errors in judgement, or decisions we've made. They are indelible parts of who we were and how we got to where we are today. So we can't dwell on the past and wish for another opportunity to get it right the second time. There is a permanent record out there in the form of outcomes from decisions we've made and actions we've taken. We can only move forward, learning from our past, recognizing that we do get second chances - and that second chances offer us the opportunity for redemption. To get it right, to atone for mistakes, to live in a way which more closely resembles the example left for us over 2000 years ago. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave us all the ultimate second chance. His death ensured that we did not have to rely on getting it right the first time, that we could screw up and still have the opportunity to get it right a second, third, or fourth time. But there is an expectation that we learn from our initial efforts, that we approach future efforts in a different way, applying the lessons He left for us to our new lives filled with the hope of new beginnings and possibilities. BELIEVE.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He put our sins from us." - Psalm 103:12