Do Overs

Is there such a thing as a “do over?” I started to think about this question this weekend. I think the best answer I could up with is yes and no. Not a great answer, but it is all I can come up with. I will explain how I came to this profound conclusion.
This weekend and young man with whom our basketball team competed against died tragically in a car accident. I only knew him from a distance. I had seen him work-out in our gym and even talked to him on occasion. I watched him play and even shared some time with him at an event honoring him and another player. He seemed like a great kid, well spoken, and intelligent. He was going to play basketball in college and looked to have a promising future. He died too early. He does not get a “do over” in this life, yet because of the legacy he left behind and the lives he touched, those who knew him will be changed, So, yes they get a “do over.”
I met with a few 8th graders today. I know this is a rough time for them, and they cannot see it that way just yet. They really want to grow up, yet they are not sure just how to do it. In that process they are making a lot of mistakes and burning several bridges along the way. They will not get a chance to “do over” the 8th grade. It only happens once. (We hope). They will however get a chance to be ninth graders next year, a chance to “do over.” I wish them a lot of success.
Everyday we encounter moments that are defining. We have choices, options, but for every choice there is a consequence or multiple consequences. We fail to realize that there might not be a “do over.” That is why it helps define us. We have split seconds to make decisions that can affect us, and others. We have to make decisions. We have to understand that not everything comes with a “do over.” We also have to be alert to the decisions that others make because that might be our “do over.”
The greatest “do over” in life is the forgiveness of sin. God sent Jesus to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sin. He gave us a “do over.” God gave us the Bible as our guide to make our “do over” count. We have to be alert; we have to change with the consequences in mind. We will never know if that is our last “do over.”