Do you believe in offering second chances to people? Our pastor based his children’s sermon on this concept and received mixed reactions. One young girl stated that her parents offered her second chances to clean her room. Most of the children were quiet. It got me thinking that perhaps their silence was due to a feeling that if they were offered a second chance, then they had made mistakes. Perhaps they were not willing to share those mistakes publicly.
The message has stayed with me as I’ve continued on with my day.
As humans, we are bound to make mistakes, or not put our best effort forward consistently. I know I need to be more intentional about giving second chances to my family members: my children, my husband, and my dog. I also need to carry this belief outside of my family circle to include my school members: my students, my colleagues, and the parents in the community. The ripple effect is real. The people I encounter in each layer of my life need to get second chances when needed.
Doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance? Or a third or a fourth, etc.?
Mrs. Palmer Ponders 
Absolutely! I am sometimes accused of giving my students too many chances, but I am very careful to draw the line between giving another chance and enabling poor behavior. I want people to be gentle with me. I need to do the same.
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Wow. How interesting to think about kids’ thoughts about second chances. It makes me wonder what my students would say. Thanks for sharing this interesting food for thought!
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We are not perfect people. Giving second chances needs to happen for us. It’s also why forgiveness exists! Where would we be without second chances?
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I also liked the child perspective in your slice. I think too often our children are afraid to mess up or perhaps think that they’ll loose our love if they aren’t “good.” Expectations are good, but even good people need second chances.
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As a behavior teacher, I am in the business of second chances. I do find it easier to give second chances at work than I do in my personal life…
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I find that I am much less happy when I am refusing to give someone another chance. I like how you tied this to children’s fear of making mistakes. We have a lot of work to do in our classrooms to show that second (and third and fourth chances…) are evidence that we are learning.
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An interesting idea here that we are more forgiving in public than in private, or to ourselves.
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Thanks for reminding me that I need to do so and change the questions around so my family will help me with their chores.
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Your post is a reminder about being human; we make mistakes, learn from them, and hopefully get the grace of a second chance. Thank you for a thought-provoking post.
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Yes, we all deserve second chances. And sometimes third or fourth chances. I try to lead with grace and forgivenss as much as possible. Thank you for writing about this.
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Oh….I love a thought-provoking sermon. I think second/third/fourth chances are situation-dependent.
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Yes, we all need second chances every now and then. And as you stated, we need to be more willing to give second chances to those around us.
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