Our Father - the God of Second Chances…

Here in New Zealand where I live, the headlines in the media right now are about a new politician who was just weeks ago elected to replace a member of parliament who retired from politics. In the last 24 hours, reports have come out that 22 years ago, when he was a student at a boarding school, he was involved in a fight, and he assaulted a fellow student, leading to his expulsion from the school.

Let me be clear, this is not a political post. Politics is not the purpose of this page or ministry, and I choose not to get involved in or comment on politics because that is not the lane the Father is calling me to run in at this point in time. But I was struck with how attacking many of the reports are, stating that perhaps this politician is not fit to be a politician, that the country should have known these things before he ran to be a member of parliament amongst other things.

I don’t personally know this politician. I don’t know his background, I don’t know his family, and I don’t know the circumstances surrounding this incident. I believe that violence and bullying is never acceptable – I have been on the receiving end of bullying at times in my life and know firsthand how destructive it can be. But I also know that this incident happened 22 years ago when he was 16. He was young and (by his own admission) immature. While the actions at the time were wrong, a lot can happen in 22 years. People learn, people change, and people grow.

As I was reading about this situation, I was reminded of how differently God treats us. He doesn’t hold onto things we did decades ago. He doesn’t tell us, “Look at you! You made that stupid choice all those years ago. I am never going to forgive you. You are done. You are useless to me now. Your life as you know it is over, and no matter what you do with your life, the changes to your behaviour you make, the contribution you make to society from this point onwards, you will never be allowed to hold a public role and this act will be used as leverage against you for the rest of your life."

Instead, this is the reality of how God treats us:

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12 NLT)

It doesn’t get any further than east and west. This verse is saying that God casts it so far away from Him that He doesn’t even remember it, let alone relive it. Isn’t that such an amazing and comforting truth!

On top of this, God doesn’t allow our past to affect our future. In fact, God is the God of second, third, fourth and more chances. We see this time and time again throughout Scripture. Abraham and Jacob were serial liars, Moses murdered someone, Gideon wrestled with fear and timidity, David had an affair and then murdered someone and was also a terrible father, Solomon was a womaniser and Elijah became suicidal to name a few. However, we don’t look at these people through the lens of their mistakes; we see them as heroes of the faith –  people to look up to. David was even described by God Himself as a man after his own heart. Why? Because their mistakes didn’t define them. Instead, God forgave and used them in spite of their mistakes.

If God treated those men in Scripture the way this politician in New Zealand is being treated, then those heroes of the faith would have been written off a long time ago, and, if we are truly willing to be honest, each and every one of us would also be written off, because even if we have never bullied someone, we are all guilty of falling short and making mistakes in some way.

I believe in the ugliness of this situation unfolding here in New Zealand, there is both a beautiful reminder and a beautiful opportunity or challenge. It reminds me to be grateful for the incredible forgiveness that the Father has extended to me because of what Jesus has done. Just soak in that for a minute. As far as the east is from the west, so yours and my mistakes are discarded by God. Wow! We are forgiven, cleansed, whole, restored and given a second chance.

In the beauty of this reminder, we are also presented with a beautiful opportunity. The Father asks us (with His help) to extend that same sort of forgiveness to others. To release others of the hurt and pain they have caused, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to not hold people’s mistakes against them, and, to give second chances. Scripture words it this way:

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:13 NLT)

The incredible way our Father has treated us gives us the opportunity to extend that same grace to others, so that they can experience the love and grace of the Father through us and, as a result, be enabled to walk in the same freedom you and I are able to walk in as a result.

So, today, instead of getting caught up in the war of words going on in the media, let’s use this time to firstly thank our Father for His grace and forgiveness, to soak in that reality, and secondly, invite Him to search our hearts and reveal someone He is asking us to extend the same grace to, to forgive them, not because they deserve it, but because our incredible Father has been so gracious to us.