Start Over, Again

I've always been a big believer in second chances. In my more honest moments, you'll catch me admitting that I very rarely do anything right the first time. One trip to the hardware store is enough to start a home improvement project, but it will take at least one more to finish it. I sometimes attempt crossword puzzles in ink, but only in light ink, and small letters, leaving ample opportunity for revision and correction. My best work in software design usually emerges after the second or third complete rewrite. And since I typically preach the same sermon twice each Sunday, I get an opportunity to rethink and rework it on the short drive up the hill. (Charles accuses me of "practicing" on them, before the "real" sermon with you.)

But these are the little things. I'm a believer in second chances in big things, too. Some of the healthiest marriages I have seen have been second and even third marriages. Many of the most fulfilled people I know have been in their second or third career. Several of the most deeply joyful people I have known have survived near-fatal illness, and are now living what they call their second (or third) chance at life.

We may not always learn from our mistakes, and repeated effort does not guarantee improvement, but I know that the best and most enduring lessons come after failure, or at least after the weaknesses of the previous attempt have been exposed and acknowledged. In fact, I've come to appreciate a recurring cycle of opportunity, where each attempt offers insights and understanding that can inform and enhance the next one. In the software business, we call this "iterative rapid prototyping", where each new version represents the accumulation of prior successes and lessons learned. In philosophy, we speak of the Hegelian Dialectic, where thesis and antithesis give birth to synthesis, in perpetual conflict and resolution.

Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of being "born again", in terms that clearly stunned and confused the educated man. In recent generations, that phrase has been so widely used that it has become little more than a label, identifying a subgrouping of Christians who emphasize individual conversion and global evangelism. Through all the bumper stickers and Gallup polls, I think the image has lost its initial force. Perhaps some fresh phrases could help restore the impact: "return to infancy", "back to kindergarten", "recycled childhood"... you can probably come up with a better one.

Today marks the 51st time I have begun a new year. (I don't remember the first few, but I imagine they were nevertheless significant). There are a few (okay, a few dozen) things that I would like to do better this year than in previous years. There are some things that I will certainly be better at, simply due to natural growth and experience. And, without doubt, I will make some mistakes I haven't made before (as well as some that I have repeated much too often). I have no specific ambitions or "measurable objectives" in mind, and I have no intention of reducing the "value" of this year into some pass/fail evaluation against a short list of resolutions.

I'm just happy to have another shot, to start over one more time. And I'm very happy to have people like you to learn from, and to grow with.

Happy New Year.

-- Brother Tom

"Because of the LORD's great love

we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning."

-- Lamentations 3:22-23