In golf, there is a concept known as a “mulligan.” If you make a poor shot, you get another chance, and it won’t be counted as an extra stroke. Usually, you get one mulligan per game (even though most of us hackers would prefer a second chance after every bad shot!).

But what happens when we make a bad move in life? Is it possible to take a mulligan? Can we have a “do over?” The dictionary calls “do over” a “new attempt to do something after a previous attempt has been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory.”

When I look back on my life, there are several instances when I wished I could have a do over, either because I deeply regret things that I did or said, or things I should have said or done, but failed to do so. Sadly, I can’t go back in time and do things differently. 

The reality of that failure hurts deeply. The 1662 “Book of Common Prayer” captures this sentiment best: “We are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous to us; the burden of them is intolerable.” Some of us know this feeling all too well.

If we dwell on past mistakes, we find ourselves in a damnable position, because it’s impossible to go back in time to fix it. But we can learn from our mistakes. Sometimes we can apologize to people we’ve hurt; sometimes we can’t because they are no longer with us. More importantly, we can find forgiveness from a merciful Heavenly Father who wants to set us free and move forward in peace, liberated from the mental prison of regret and self-condemnation.

And how does God do this? 1 Peter 2:24 says: “Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Our forgiveness comes at an unspeakably great price. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said His blood would be “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthews 26:28).

When we blow it, it’s important to confess our sins ASAP, which is basically exhaling the toxic air of poor moral choices and breathing in the pure oxygen of Christ’s forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is essential to set us free from the albatross of shame and guilt of past sins that can weigh us down and rob us of present joy.

King David was miserable after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba that also led to the killing of her husband, Uriah. The Lord convicted him of these dreadful actions, which led to the following admission in Psalm 32:5 — “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” This realization is what the Bible describes as a “godly sorrow [that] produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Before becoming a follower of Jesus, the Apostle Paul arrested Christians, put them in prison, virtually assuring their death. He greatly regretted those decisions later in life. But Paul, having experienced the grace of God, provides us with hope: “This one thing I focus on: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13).”

Like Paul, we can experience the mercy and forgiveness of God that can free us from the guilt and shame of past blunders, no matter what they are. But don’t take my word for it; listen to what God Himself promises in Scripture:

“I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”  — Isaiah 43:25

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” — Hebrews 8:12

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” — Micah 7:18-19

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  — Psalm 103:12

Because He loves us, God gives us second chances… over and over again. So, I guess you can say that it really is possible to have a “do over” after all! “So, if the Son [of God] sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36).

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