Second Chances Aren't Free

Let's be honest—most of us would love a second chance. A redo. A clean slate. We romanticize them in sports, root for them in movies, and long for them in life. But second chances are seldom painless. They come at a cost. They're often preceded by struggle, humiliation, and a deep learning curve.In this installment of our "Joshua" devotional series, Pastor Mike Woodruff takes us back to the banks of the Jordan River. The Israelites have come full circle—back to the edge of the Promised Land where their parents stood 40 years earlier. But this isn't just a geographic repeat. It's a heart check. Not a test of physical strength, but of trust and surrender.The first time, fear won. Ten spies spread panic throughout the nation, and a generation was condemned to wander the wilderness—over 14,000 days, an estimated one hundred funerals a day. Second chances do not come cheaply.Now, standing at the same river, the question is: Will this generation trust God in ways their parents did not?Pastor Mike reflects on the "mulligan"—golf's free do-over—and reminds us that in real life, mulligans are rare. When we get them, they often follow a season of wilderness, consequences, and shaping. The Israelites didn't just kill time in the desert; God was preparing them. And sometimes the second chance you receive isn't for you to keep—it's one you can extend to someone else.Second chances are a gift. They're rarely free. The Israelites inherited theirs because a generation died in the desert. You and I inherited ours because Jesus went to the cross.So if you're standing on the edge of something new today, don't waste the moment. Don't repeat the cycle. You've been given another shot. Take the next step.