Some people might see giving a second chance as disrupting your inner peace. Why would you go back to the same situation that provoked sadness, frustration, or anger in your heart? Some others see it as a way of not seeing your self-worth, going back to the same situation just to trip over the same rock twice without any change. This is why, before college, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of giving second chances. I didn’t really see a point in giving a person another chance for them to mess up again. This same way of thinking transferred over to foods or hobbies that didn’t meet my expectations the first time. However, I have realized that life isn’t black and white and sometimes people truly make mistakes without intending to.
Growing up, I have never been the person that longs to try new things. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? When I would try new things and wouldn’t like them right away, I tended to classify them as a no and stayed away from them. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I used to have such a hard time giving people or things a second chance.
As a way to hear more opinions on what others think about second chances, I decided to ask some of my friends and ended up receiving mixed perspectives. Some strictly said that second chances shouldn’t be a thing. They argued that a person who hurts you once, can and will do it again and I totally see their point. Making yourself vulnerable once again is no easy task. In fact, many people tend to look down on it. Others said that they tend to give people more than one chance even though they are aware that they might get hurt again. They don’t want people to think of them as push-overs but can’t help to try and give others another chance. Hearing these different perspectives led me to believe that, depending on the circumstance, second chances can be possible as long as the person shows the intent to get better.
Something that has also added onto my belief is my faith. As I have grown in faith over my college years, I have learned on multiple occasions that Jesus teaches us to forgive others just as God forgave us. This led me to think, “if God can forgive, why can’t we?” Forgiving is no easy task, and it requires you to come to terms with the fact that people won’t always make the right choice. In fact, many times people will make mistakes without even realizing it. But that is just a fact in life.
There are multiple relationships in my life that would no longer exist if it weren’t for second chances. The person I am today is thanks to those second chances that people have given me and that I have given to others.