By Chap. (Capt.) Phillip Raybon
Special to GUIDON

Have you ever had a day where you just blew it? I mean one of those days where anything and everything that could go wrong did. How many of you can remember an event in life and say, “I wish I could have handled that differently.” We’ve all had those days.

I love to watch children play. As a father, I’ve seen the innocence of a child. Children, like adults, have their own rules they follow. One of their ground rules is the, “do over.” When something goes wrong they shout, “do over,” and their mistake is erased.

As adults, wouldn’t it be wonderful to incorporate the, “do over?” Now some of you are thinking, that’s impossible; “chaplain, do you honestly think we can have a, “do over?”” Yes, and I will tell you why. The Bible clearly demonstrates that we can have a, “do over.” I’ll also tell you that I’ve been given a second chance in my life. My friends, if you have never asked for a “do over,” you can have one.

Look at Saul, this man was a persecutor of the church.He had the power to arrest Christians. He watched as Stephen was stoned to death. By his own admission, he approved of Stephen’s death and stood by to guard the coats of the men who killed him. Saul thought he was following the will of God. He was sincere in his beliefs; however, he was sincerely wrong.

On the road to Damascus, the very person he was persecuting, Jesus Christ, confronted him. In an amazing act of grace, Saul was |given a second chance and his name was changed to Paul.

History, and even Paul himself, tells us that he was a persecutor of the church. However, we also know that Paul used his second chance to be one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. This one time persecutor of the church, converted to Christianity and authored two thirds of the New Testament.

My friends, God will give you a second chance. You can have that “do over.”

(Editor’s note: Raybon is the 701st Military Police Battalion chaplain.)