Can I Get a Do Over?

Happy Groundhog Day All;

Since it is Groundhog Day I obviously can’t let the opportunity pass to  take the little varmint and run with it! run with it! run with  it! run with it! ….ooops I fell into the movie script with Bill Murray, (Ground Hogs Day)

Sometimes I wish I could get a do over!

For those of you that haven’t seen the movie, Bill Murray is a self-absorbed, obnoxious TV reporter forced to go to Punxsutawney Pennsylvania to cover Groundhog Day.  Through the magic of scripting he keeps waking up on Feb 2 with multiple opportunities to do the day over until he gets it right.  It is a funny movie.

There are definitely times in my life that I would like to get a do over.  Unfortunately, in the real world we don’t get that option.  Speaking of the term ‘do over’ how did that ever get into our vocabulary anyway?  I think I first heard it in school which would not surprise me, since schools for years have been working on dumbing down and creating followers instead of independent thinking leaders.

Raising kids on do overs until they can all get a trophy, trains them that there are no true winners and losers in life.  EVERYBODY GETS A TROPHY!  YEAH!  This has led to a generation that believes it is entitled to something without ever earning it.  I’m sorry but in the real world there are always winners and losers, people who work hard and people who are lazy.  In the real world even in socialist countries there are winners and losers; it’s just that in socialist countries the government picks the winners and losers.

No Eternal Do Overs:

In Hebrews 9 it says; 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Once we die we will face the judgment, no reincarnation, no working our way up or down the Karmic chain, a central tenet within the majority of Indian religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. 

No Earthly Do Overs:

I see my shadow, now what?

Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Let’s work hard at using wisdom when we talk.

Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

Let’s be humble and modest in our own eyes and not have a self-sufficient heart.  Let’s acknowledge our need for God in our hearts.

Matthew 13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

Let’s always be looking for our Heavenly Fathers direction in our lives. When we sin we can’t take it back, or have a do over.  The effects of that sin can affect our earthly lives, sometimes until the day we die. 

But We Do Have God’s Grace & Mercy:

Psalm 130:2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

Let’s be humble and quick to go to the Lord to ask for His mercy

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus has the ability and desire to remove the heavy burden of sin in our life if we will confess it to him and ask for forgiveness.

Matthew 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

And of course we need to go to those we have offended and ask their forgiveness. We can’t go crawling to God for forgiveness when we won’t even do that for our fellow humans.

Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Over and over in the Scriptures one phrase is repeated: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”  Are we listening or have we crawled back in our little burrow like a groundhog to wait for another day?

Keep Looking for your shadow

Regular Joe