Christy discusses a missed opportunity, and what she learned through getting a second chance.

Transcript below

Our God is the God of second chances.
Recently, He gave me a second chance
and I want to share what he taught me that day.

A couple of weeks ago
I had an appointment where a member of our bible study works.
As I walked in I greeted them with my usual “Hey! How are you?”

But their response was not their usual .
“well, I’ve had better days.”

I wasn’t prepared for that- so I was caught a bit off guard.

They spent a few minutes explaining
some problems that were weighing heavily on them
and when they were done I replied, “well I’ll be praying for you,”

They said they appreciated it.
But it was obvious that I had brought
no immediate comfort or even encouragement.

After I left, I began to feel convicted.
This was a person who knew me as a sister in the faith.
So, opening up to me was not something they would
have done to any stranger that walked in there.
They had trusted me enough to be honest, and share their burden.

And even though I was sincere in saying I’d pray for them,
I began to see that I could have and should have said more.

Have you ever had an experience where the Father
sent someone with just the right words to encourage you when we needed it most?
Well, from time to time he gives us opportunities to be those people to others.

As I drove home, I knew I had missed one of those opportunities.

However, When I got home my phone rang and it was my friend
telling me that I had left something at their office.
I immediately saw this as an act of grace.
The Father was giving me a do over.

I drove back and all the way there
I prayed to the Father about what I should say.
By the time I arrived,
I had complete peace about what those words were.

I apologized for simply saying I’d pray for them,
assuring them that I absolutely would, but I explained that I should have said more.
With that, I told them that sometimes we encounter obstacles
that are meant to discourage us, but when we look to GOd
and trust in HIm, He can use those obstacles to strengthen us instead.

And sometimes God Himself sends what seems like obstacles to us
in order to help us course correct or draw our attention to another path
he may mean for us. In all things, though, we can look to Him for
direction and trust that He has a way forward, even when we can’t see what that way may be.

I knew that this is what I was meant to say- and I was SO grateful to be able to reclaim that opportunity to do so.

Praying for others is always a good thing and
we should absolutely do it and let them know we are.
But we need to be mindful of saying it out of habit
without taking a few moments to check in with the Father
and consider how else we can encourage them at that very moment.

We need to train ourselves to be slower in our response,
to be comfortable with a long pause.

Sometimes in that pause the Father will give us
just the right words of comfort to share.
And sometimes,
He uses that silence to remind us
that wherever two or more are gathered,
he is there as well.

Pray for others and let them know it.
But in addition to that, don’t miss
the opportunity to be present for them as well.

I don’t know how many second chances he has given me in my lifetime,
but I do know that each one i’ve taken has left me all the better for having done so.

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Christy Jordan
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