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Second Chances


 I almost missed it. Even after spending the last week thinking about God's response to Cain in Genesis 4. How God again and again pursues Cain's heart. How God again and again tries to let Cain re-engage in relationship with Him. How God offered Cain chance after chance to repent. For the past week, I've ruminated over God's heart and purpose even in the life of a bad offering bringer and brother killer, and yet, I still almost missed it.

Her angry words at the dinner table and her refusal to readjust and rethink were met with discipline, time in her room and an early bedtime. Given the words spoken, the tone with which they were spoken, and the decibel level reached, the discipline was fair and warranted. But as I cleared the table, I knew we couldn't just be done there. The Spirit soothed my frustration and urged me on to chase after the heart and re-engage in the relationship. The Spirit urged me not to miss our second chance.

A second chance in the form of a nutritious (not as yummy as first go round) dinner, a warm bath, some of Mama's special lotion, and one on one time having her hair dried, revealed a repentant little girl battling to control her fleshly willfulness. The second chance gave us the opportunity to engage in conversation about sin and grace. The second chance resulted in her sweet little voice lifting songs of worship along with the music softly playing in the background. The second chance meant she fell asleep snuggled next to me knowing that she was loved unconditionally and always forgiven by me and by God. The second chance meant a repaired relationship. 

Sadly Cain never took his second chance, and the results are seen in the evil that grows in the generations that follow. However, we do see Eve's second chance at the end of chapter 4 when God blesses her with Seth and a new family line to walk in relationship with God. I'm thankful tonight that the Spirit didn't let me miss the second chance my precious girl needed, and I'm grateful for all the second, third, fourth, twenty-seventh chances that have been offered to me.

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