The Villages Community Chapel is a multi denominational Christian Church serving those who live the Villages Golf and Country Club and the nearby Assisted Living Facilities in San Jose, CA. Our weekly worship service is held at 10AM Sundays in the Cribari Auditorium in the Villages.
“A Day of Second Chances”
By Pastor Bill Hayden
11/13/24
Some life situations can make or break you, depending on your choices. There are no direct paths to success without barriers, pitfalls, dead ends, roadblocks, and cliffs, to say the least. It is an uphill climb with obstacles that one must persevere.
Some people can turn negative words or actions into positive energy and propel themselves over the walls of adversity that are holding them back. For others, those negative words or actions can imprison them to the extent that they succumb to guilt, depression, addiction, and sometimes crime.
As a youth, some people didn’t think much about me because of my family legacy and were not unafraid to express it. I would use those negative words or actions to push me in the right direction and I never stopped trying to improve and find ways to reach my goals.
Today, you may know someone who experienced a difficult childhood that affected their attitude towards themselves and others. If you listen carefully and with a compassionate heart, you can hear the pain in their conversations and how they may habitually put others down to lift themselves up.
I believe that we were all created with the potential for greatness and the ability to be the best human beings and friends we can be, even to the very broken. I’m so grateful that I have lived and am living to reach my fullest potential to love, forgive, accept, and encourage others to do the same. I try to practice acknowledging my brokenness and give blessings to the other person’s life, thereby encouraging them.
It can be too easy to be critical of others, when you have had better opportunities and help from people who have opened doors for you. This thought occurred to me: When you see or know of a person who is in need, why not in return, open the door for them. Each person has potential for success which they don’t always see, but can be obvious to others.
Regardless of past failures, each day we wake up is a “Day of Second Chances!” let’s not allow the past to determine our future.
Psalms 37:4 ESV: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Please celebrate with us and experience the Good Life at the Villages Community Chapel in Cribari Auditorium every Sunday at 10 a.m. to be encouraged over the Word of Life and enjoy coffee and cookies with friends. The chapel is a place for needs to be met, faith to be affirmed, and new friends to embrace. You can view our worship services on YouTube at www.villagescommunitychapel.vgcc.club