Our God is a God of second chances. And because He is, so too must we be if we are to reflect his love. My husband and I are being put to the test on this, as my son is moving back home with us today. We had asked him to leave when he couldn’t follow our rules. We’re not sure if things – if he – has changed. I think he’s grown up a little perhaps but I know in my wise old age that growing up is a lifelong process and he’s only been gone for a few  years. We’ve been told the move is only temporary, but still it’s hard. Just like it was hard when my step-daughter moved out for similar reasons and then moved back home after a year away. But our relationship grew as a result and I can only hope for the same this time too. Jesus told us this parable:  “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine. If not, then cut it down.’†In the story we see God gives us a chance to change. Of course if we don’t change we are eventually “cut down.” If you’re faced, like I am, with the challenge of giving someone another chance, I pray that by giving it, we do God’s will by helping that person change and grow.
