Second Chances

I've recently had the pleasure of becoming reacquainted with some old friends. In many ways, it feels like a homecoming. The beautiful thing is, we’re discovering a depth of friendship we never had before. Life has been good to so many of these friends. Not that time has been without its share of loss and disappointment. Some of them bear heavy burdens. Most all of them realize they don’t have everything figured out. Yet in the midst of the brokenness, there is this ever-present sense of hope, humility, and strength. You know what I’ve discovered? They’ve become far more attractive and enjoyable than I remember them being before.

I’ve known and been a part of many broken relationships in my life. The kind that drain the life right out of you. I’ve had to understand that I am a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual creature, and that I need to nurture each of these entities of my life. As a matter of fact, I am quite needy, with all of these dimensions and facets making up my inner self. Yet neither friends nor my own striving can fulfill all that my soul requires. Jacob realized this as he wrestled with God at the place he called Peniel. So he refused to loosen his grip in that battle to experientially know God's love -- the kind that does not fail nor abandon nor reject. That was the blessing he sought over a life that up til then had been filled with emptiness. He had lived long enough, and wrong enough to realize that these things and more importantly, his place with God was worth fighting for.

God created us to love one another, bear with one another, and sharpen one another. Yet more times than not, we fall pitifully short in our ability to give and receive this type of interdependent connectedness. It won’t always be so. With these renewed friendships, I am enjoying a season of second chances. It hasn’t been without acknowledgment of losses along the way. Yet this is a beautiful glimpse of what God has in store for us as we grow to relate in a rightful manner to God, to ourselves, and to one another. The gifts of life and love are God’s prized gifts to all of us. Gifts we are desperate to receive. Gifts that we are able to share, once we truly have them ourselves.

I’m thrilled to be connecting with these dear friends. It feels like we’ve entered into something glorious and eternal. And that it’s not too late for second chances.