Grace and Second Chances, part two

*Continued from 6/ 24

Second chances. There comes a time when we all need one. After all, who’s perfect?

Lately I’ve been thinking about second chances in regards to many things—relationships, dreams, challenges. Too often we just give up. We don’t extend grace to others or to ourselves. Earlier in the week, I posted about a disastrous lunch I had with a new friend. Go here to read about it.

A few years ago, I experienced another similar lunch. The only difference was that I was the awkward one. I was “going through something,” and truly wasn’t myself. When I got into my car after lunch, I wept. I realized that in my state of mind—I was deeply hurt and upset by a situation that had nothing to do with my lunch date—I was uncomfortable meeting someone new.

Unfortunately to mask that, I was chatty. Too chatty. Ridiculously chatty. When the lunch was over I realized I hardly had gotten to know her. That regret still weighs my heart. I reached out with an email apology and followed that a while later with a FB message, but she never addressed the lunch or apology.

We’re still FB friends, and we occasionally interact and see one another socially, but I grieve the loss of what could have been a pleasant friendship. 

The pain I feel is because grace was not extended to me. Ouch. 

Grace is extending favor, good will, kindness, love—a second chance. 

But sometimes second chances can be about your personal goals and dreams. Have you abandoned a dream? 

I'm a writer, yet I haven't published since 2008. Yeah. Since then I've written two more novels. But they just weren't ready to go out into the world. I worried. I fretted. I rewrote. I more or less quit writing. 

I thought I'd be okay with that, but ultimately it saddened me to think my author days were over. So I decided to focus on one of those books, and I rewrote it. Again. 

I extended grace—a second chance, to myself and my writing. Nothing may come of it other than the satisfaction of knowing I'm not a quitter. 

So last week I started writing (REwriting) my novel again. For the sixth time. And you know what? I've slashed pages and cut characters, and I think it's better than ever.

I still don't know what the outcome (publication) will be, but I was kind to my dreams and, as always, I placed them in the Lord's care. What will be, will be.

So when it comes to grace, please err on the side of kindness—to other and also to yourself.