When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, and the goats to His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Mathew 25:31-40
We are all equals, in every sense of the word. No matter the sin committed, the trust broken, the damage caused. God demands of us to meet these people in whatever situation they find themselves. We are Gods hands and feet on earth, His instruments. We need to see beyond the situation to free each person to recover and become healthy.
As we approach Easter we are reminded by the ultimate second chance Jesus provided for us. Nothing will ever come close to the grace given and if we could use just the smallest amount of the grace given to us truly amazing things would unfold. Jesus died for All! He died for the sinners, he died for the imperfect. A second chance was given to all.
There is a great quote by Brené Brown, “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together”. A challenging reminder that we can all benefit from, No one is inadequate but we are all imperfect. As you go about your day, consider those around you and attempt to look at things from another viewpoint. Attempt to be “on” mission and be available, not just to those immediately around you but to your wider community.
Second chances can be hard to come by these days. The unfortunate reality is that so many people are written off, labeled unworthy, inadequate and just not worth the time. At the core of our beings we need to change how we operate, we need to be forgiving, loving and compassionate. Different situations demand different responses and when it ‘comes to the crunch’ it can be hard to follow through. We all have the capacity to give those second chances, help the helpless, engage with the unloved and to be a light to those around you!