Every Day We Get Second Chances, Don’t Wait Until You’re Smacked in the Head
That’s right…it’s my second, ninth birthday. Most people don’t get to have two birthdays a year, but I’m one of the fortunate ones.
There’s my original birthday…the day in which my mother gave birth to me. And then I have a second birthday…the one in which I got a second chance at life.
Too many people live their whole lives never finding their purpose. My second birthday helped me to find mine.
Let me explain. On December 6th, 2012, I was working, standing on a plank, approximately 8’ above the ground when it broke. Luckily, I don’t remember any of the ordeal from the time that I was measuring for a piece of wafer board until I woke up in the hospital three days later…
As I recovered from the fall, I realized this situation could have ended differently. I was still here for a reason.
God wasn’t done with me yet.
Some of us are a little slower than others and it takes a board upside the head, to get our attention.
As I was watching one of my favorite Christmas movies a few days ago I was thinking about why it is that I liked it so much…. then I realized that it was the opportunity for second chances. It was like my fall.
It’s never too late to start building a better life.
The movie, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas (Not a title that most guys would probably have on their movie list.) is about a woman, Noelle, who accidently gets locked in a department store where she works. While waiting to be rescued, a quirky woman named Charlie appears. Over the next few days Charlie, Noelle’s guardian angel, helps her rediscover the life she has been avoiding, by visiting Christmases past, present and future. (Sounds a little like another movie, doesn’t it?)
We’ve all had situations that we can look back on and wish we’d done different.
We can’t change the past, but things we do today will affect the future.
In the movie, Charlie tells Noelle a story. You’ve probably heard it (or some variation of it).
It goes like this, there was man who was out in the snow. Someone came by in a sleigh and offered him a ride. The man refused. He said, “God will take care of me”. Later as the snow continued to get deeper another man in a sleigh came by and offered to help. Once again, the man refused. “God will take care of me.” The next time a sleigh came by the snow was up to the man’s chin. For a third time the man declined the help and said, “God will take care of me”. Then the man is in Heaven and asking God why He didn’t save him. God answers, “I sent three sleighs and you ignored them all”.
Don’t ignore the sleighs that God sends.
I love Christmas movies. They offer us a perspective that too often is overlooked in real live. They are a great example of God’s love shared through people in the world.
My wife and I like Christmas movies so much that we make a long list (currently 146 and growing) and we implement a plan for watching them. (I also love making plans 😊) Besides that…there won’t be any NACAR races to watch until early February.
My friend Shep and I talked about the Christmas movie list which prompted him to compare Christmas movies with God’s love in his most recent Monday Morning Moment. (Follow this link to Shep’s post)
All of this is to say, that if you’re still alive…it’s not too late. You don’t need a second birthday to make changes in your life.
Be aware of the sleighs that God sends. Don’t wait until you’re hit in the head with a board.
