There were so many nights I thought, Well, that’s it. I’ve blown it for good this time.
You know those moments—the ones where you’ve messed up so badly that even you don’t want to look in the mirror. The ones where you’re sure God has finally had enough. Where you’re convinced you used up your last “chance” a long time ago.
But somehow… there was still breath in my lungs.
The sun still came up.
And grace showed up again.
Not always with a lightning bolt or a miracle. Sometimes it was quieter than that. A text from someone I hadn’t heard from in months. A ride to a meeting. A sermon that felt like it was aimed right between my ribs. A random moment where I should have gone off the rails—but didn’t.
That’s the crazy thing about God: He’s not just the God of second chances. He’s the God of third, fifth, tenth, and “you lost count years ago” chances.
When You’re Sure You’re Done
There were times I thought my story was over.
Addiction will tell you that. Depression will whisper it. Shame will scream it.
“You’re too far gone.”
“You’ve hurt too many people.”
“You’ve made too many promises and broken every one.”
And honestly? From a human point of view, some of that feels true. People do get tired. Trust does get damaged. Relationships do change. We don’t get to act like our choices don’t matter.
But grace doesn’t erase consequences—it walks with you through them.
Every time I thought I had finally disqualified myself from God’s love, something small would happen that told me I was wrong. A moment of peace I didn’t deserve. A prayer answered when I barely had the courage to pray it. Strength to say “no” when everything in me was screaming “yes.”
Those weren’t signs of how good I was.
They were signs of how patient He is.
Grace Shows Up in the Mess, Not After
For a long time, I thought God’s love worked like a reward:
- Get your life together.
- Clean yourself up.
- Fix your past.
- Then maybe God will give you another chance.
But that’s not how grace works.
Grace shows up in the relapse, in the panic attack, in the lonely kitchen at midnight, in the car outside the meeting when you’re too embarrassed to walk in. Grace shows up when you’re not proud of your story, when you’re hanging on by your fingernails, when all you can pray is, “God… please.”
He doesn’t wait until you’re “holy” to love you.
He loves you while you’re still shaking, still learning, still trying.
Not an Excuse—An Invitation
God being the God of endless chances doesn’t mean:
- “Do whatever you want, He’ll just forgive you.”
It means:
- “You haven’t blown it so badly that He’s given up on you.”
Big difference.
Grace isn’t permission to stay stuck. It’s power to get back up.
Every time I thought, I can’t start over again—it’s too embarrassing, grace said, Get up anyway. Every time shame told me, You’re just going to fail again, grace whispered, Maybe this time you won’t. Let’s try.
And even when I did fail again, grace didn’t say, I’m done with you.
It said, Okay. That hurt. Let’s learn. Get up. We’re not finished.
The God Who Doesn’t Walk Away
If you’re reading this and you feel like you’ve used up every last chance—hear me:
You’re not done.
You might feel tired. You might be sitting in the middle of consequences you wish you could undo. You might be convinced you’ve disappointed God, your family, your kids, yourself, one too many times.
But God is not like us.
We slam doors, hold grudges, and keep score.
He keeps reaching, keeps calling, keeps opening a way back.
You might not get back everything you lost. Life doesn’t always rewind like that. But you can get back you. Your soul. Your peace. Your connection with Him. Your hope.
And that starts with one simple, honest step:
“God, I’m still here. I don’t deserve this, but I need another chance. Please help me.”
That’s it. No fancy words. No performance. Just truth.
If you woke up today, you haven’t run out of chances.
If you’re breathing, He’s still not done with you.
You are not the one person in history who managed to outrun the grace of God. You might be on your twentieth chance—or your two hundredth—but He is still the God who sees you, loves you, and says:
“We can start again from here.”
And that, right there, is hope.
— Josh Bridges
YOU {R} NOT ALONE YOU HAVE A VOICE! 