This week should be considered a great
week for me. I did amazing on my 4 exams (98, 98, 98.3, 100); I spent a
wonderful evening with my mom; I watched a few great new movies with some
friends, I made all the phone calls I had to make and arranged all I needed to
do. I am even getting my hair styled and highlighted later today as well, which
is the first time since it has started growing back after radiation so it is a
pretty big event and regardless of how it turns out, I will like it and need it.
It all sounds like a great week doesn't it? Indeed, all these things are great
but in fact my week was not a good one.
I have been in a funk all week and it is
not the great things that happened that made it bad; it was my attitude
throughout them. I was out of focus and my mind not on the things it should
have been on. It was not on the commitment I made to this blog and all the
wonderful things I learn and get from doing it; it was not on the blessings
that are all around me; it was not on helping a friend in need; it was not on my
obedience to God; it was not on any of that. My mind was on what I wanted to
do. I was selfish.
I would like to apologize to Dwight for
leaving him to handle this blog single-handedly when it was a commitment we
made together and knowing that he is having a stressful busy week but still not
stepping up to do my part. I want to apologize to all readers for letting you
down by not providing you with the daily posts that we promised. Most of all I
would to apologize to God for denying Him the opportunity to do His will and
bring glory to His name.
As a golfer, and especially a novice one
like myself, I am very familiar and appreciative of the concept of a mulligan.
For those non golfers, a mulligan is the second chance given to a golfer after
a bad tee shot. It is the sophisticated adult version of the “do over” we used
to get as a child.
Well, I want a mulligan for this last
week. While I am at it; how about a mulligan at life? How many of us at one
point or another have wanted a “do over”? I am positive I am not the only one
here.
We all have days when it seems like
things just aren’t working; days (or a week in my case) when we just seem to do
it all wrong. We mess up in the way we handle things; whether in our words, our
actions or even just in our minds; our attitude and outlook. These are the
times when we, or at least I, feel like every shot I make lands in the water, sand
trap or woods; the times we want to call a mulligan. There are no second chances in life, but
even though we may not get to physically do over the times we mess up, we do
get mulligans, daily in fact.
Yes, you heard me right, we get a
mulligan daily. You see, a mulligan is a type of forgiveness when we get the opportunity
to have a brand new start without penalty. This doesn’t come from redoing the
day, but from the mercy shown to us from above. Jesus made that offer to us
when He willing gave His life on the cross and when we accept that offer and
give our lives over to God, He will grant us a new start. He forgives us and
wipes our slate clean, completely forgiven and without the penalty for our
mistakes, which is always death and damnation by the way. And this ultimate
forgiveness is not just a one-time occurrence either, it happens daily. Every
morning our Lord is constantly forgiving us and wiping our slate clean. He
throws all of our sins away and by His mercy and love He gives us another
chance.
“Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is
here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
So this morning, I am not taking this
chance for granted and I am grateful to God for my mulligan of mercy to change
my attitude and make things right again.
Dear Lord, I come to you humbly asking
forgiveness for the selfish attitude I have had internally all week. I pray
that I will use this new day you so gracefully give me to live, love, worship
and glorify your name. Thank you for your unconditional love, forgiveness and mercy.
In your name, Amen.
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