I love the game of golf. The rule I love best is not really a rule, but a practice. Namely, the practice of being allowed to replay one shot per hole without penalty. The practice is called a Mulligan. It’s a do-over, a second chance to repair damage done by a bad swing. Of course in golf, the Mulligan rule would only be helpful to me if I were allowed to replay one shot per shot without penalty.

We love do-overs, don’t we? Students enter the classroom asking the teacher, “When’s the re-test going to be?” before the original test is even distributed. We are a society that thrives on second chances. So much so, that when we have made an utter mess of things, we proclaim, “Third time’s the charm” and prepare to go again.

God understands this about us, and is patient even beyond our own capacity to be patient. He disciplines His children (whom He loves), then offers another opportunity to get it right. He did it with Jonah, He can do it for us as well. What a great God!