God of Second Chances

It’s 2017 and I’m on a train to Barcelona. As the train slows down at a station, a man gets on and quickly gets to work placing a pack of tissues on each armrest with a card on top by way of explanation. The card says that the man has a family to feed and no job; would I consider buying the tissues in order for him to earn some money? I roll my eyes, I’m ashamed to say. I have seen this sort of thing during my trips to India. I’m hoping the man next to me will respond so that I won’t have to. Thankfully he does.

I’ll have this memory forever for two reasons:
1) because it’s a regret
2) because it leads to a revelation- our God is the God of second chances.

It’s easy to get hard hearted sometimes. Jesus said, ‘Do not let your left hand see what your right hand is doing.’ He knew if we overthought something we would talk ourselves out of doing good. I knew I was wrong to have judged that man as a fraud.

However, sometime later in Birmingham, I was in McDonalds and a peel off sticker on my milkshake told me I had won free porridge on my next visit. As I exited, I found a beggar sitting at the door and gave him the sticker. He received it with one hand and… held out a packet of tissues with the other. I immediately knew God was at work in that moment. He wanted me to buy them. I’m glad to say I did.

-Jesse Kaur

‘God does all these things to a person- twice, even three times- to turn them back from the pit,
 that the light of life may shine on them.' Job 33:29-30

‘Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
 great is your faithfulness.’  Lamentations 3:22-23