Locust years and landing nets

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I'm one of those people who dwells on their mistakes. In the 20 years I played amateur football I won three league winners medals, but never played in a cup final. I played in two semi finals, both of which we lost by the odd goal and on one one of those occasions it was my mistake that led to the other team's winning goal in extra time. Twenty five years on, I still regularly replay the moment in my mind. It's the same with fishing- when I lose a fish, I find myself endlessly revisiting the event, wondering what I should have done differently. Like Sinatra, I've got a few regrets!

I'll never get a chance to replay those two semi-finals (and now I'm in my 50's I'll never play in another one!) or to play those lost fish differently. Thankfully, it's very different with God. Christianity is all about "second chances" (and third, and fourth etc!) and "new starts." It begins with the ultimate new start when we turn to follow Jesus (the Bible calls this being "born again.") and throughout our Christian life whenever we mess up, forgiveness is only ever a prayer away.

There's a lovely verse in the Old Testament, in the Book of Joel, where God says he'll "Make up the years the locusts have eaten." It's a strange image, but basically it's saying that once you've turned to God through Jesus, whatever may have happened in the past will be more than made up for in your present and future.

That's why they call grace "amazing"!



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