What Does It Mean to Get a Second Chance? Lessons from Step Seven and the Year of Jubilee
We all fall short. Whether it’s skipping the floss, holding onto old habits, or carrying the weight of past mistakes, none of us are living up to a perfect standard. But the good news is that God is not in the business of holding that against us. He is in the business of second chances.
What Are Shortcomings, Really?
Step Seven of recovery says this: “We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.” The foundation for that step comes straight from Scripture.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
Shortcomings are not just moral failures. They are the places where we simply fall short. We miss the mark. We forget to do the thing we know we should do. We carry habits and patterns that hold us back from the life God intends for us.
The good news is that God does not operate by human standards. He gives grace where we fail, and He helps us grow where we are weak.
What Did Jesus Mean by “The Year of the Lord’s Favor”?
Near the beginning of His ministry, Jesus walked into a synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. He was handed the scroll of Isaiah and read these words aloud:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4:18-19
Then He sat down, and every eye in the room was fixed on Him. He said simply: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
That phrase, “the year of the Lord’s favor,” is not just poetic language. It carries deep meaning rooted in Jewish history.
Understanding the Year of Jubilee
The phrase “the year of the Lord’s favor” appears three times in the Bible, and each time it points to the same idea: a fresh start, a do-over, a second chance.
In Leviticus 25, God established the Year of Jubilee for the people of Israel. Every fifty years, something remarkable was supposed to happen:
- All debts were canceled
- All land was returned to its original owners
- All indentured servants were set free
- The land rested and was replenished
It was a complete reset. An Etch-A-Sketch moment for an entire society.
The problem was that people struggled to actually practice it. Too many people stood to lose too much money. So the Jubilee largely failed because of human selfishness and economic pressure.
Why Did the Old Jubilee Keep Failing?
The second use of the phrase appears in Isaiah 61, when the Jewish people were returning home from 70 years of captivity in Babylon. They had heard stories of how beautiful their homeland was. But when they arrived, it was in ruins. Morale collapsed. God used Isaiah to speak hope into that moment, calling them to rebuild and recommit.
But that jubilee did not last either. Old patterns of idolatry and division crept back in. Human effort alone could not sustain the reset.
That is the pattern. Every time humanity tries to manufacture a fresh start on its own terms, it eventually falls apart.
How Is Jesus Different from Every Other Fresh Start?
The third use of the phrase happened in that synagogue in Nazareth. And this time, everything was different.
This jubilee was not based on human effort, human sacrifice, or any price to pay. It was based entirely on the grace of God, freely given through Jesus Christ.
Jesus was not announcing a new economic policy. He was announcing Himself. He was saying that in Him, the captives are released, the blind receive sight, the oppressed go free, and the debt of sin is canceled. Not because we earned it, but because He paid for it.
And the good news is that Jesus is still in the jubilee business today.
What Does a Real Second Chance Look Like?
John Newton is one of history’s most well-known examples of jubilee. He grew up in a home with a praying mother and a Father who was a slave trader. He followed his Father’s path, making money through the slave trade. But during a violent storm at sea, terrified and desperate, he cried out to God. He promised that if God saved Him, He would leave the slave trade and enter the ministry.
He kept that promise. He went to school, became a minister, and wrote a song to accompany one of his sermons. That song has been sung for centuries:
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”
John Newton was living his jubilee. And his jubilee continues to echo today.
What Does Step Seven Look Like in Real Life?
Step Seven is not just a concept. It is a lived experience. Consider the story of a man named Frank McIntosh.
Frank spent the first 25 years of his life pursuing everything described in Galatians 5:19-21:
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, drunkenness, orgies and the like.” – Galatians 5:19-21
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He went in hurt, broken, and angry. But early in his time there, he started attending chapel just to break the monotony. Over time, he met Jesus in a profound way. The love he encountered drew him in, and he gave his heart to Christ.
Slowly, God began to remove the shortcomings and replace them with something entirely different:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23
Frank became a leader and a positive influence inside the prison. By a miracle, he was released 20 years early. Ten years after his release, he had a good job, had been promoted to plant manager, was married, and was raising six children. Every third sentence out of his mouth was “Praise the Lord,” because even a decade later, He was still amazed at the second chance God had given Him.
Frank was living his jubilee.
How Do We Stay Grateful for the Second Chance We Have Been Given?
Gratitude is not automatic. It has to be practiced. Here are some intentional ways to stay rooted in the grace that has been given:
- Celebrate Communion as a regular reminder of what Christ did
- Say grace before meals as an act of thankfulness
- Count your blessings daily, not just when things are hard
- Read the Bible and pray every day
- Look for ways to serve and lift up others
- Pray deliberately and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit
These are not things we do to earn anything. The jubilee has already been given. These are simply the natural response of a heart that knows what it has been saved from.
Life Application
This week, take one concrete step to acknowledge the second chance God has given you. It might be writing down three specific things you are grateful for that only God could have done in your life. It might be sharing your story with someone who needs to hear that a fresh start is possible. It might be humbly bringing one specific shortcoming to God in prayer and asking Him to remove it, trusting that He is faithful to do what He promises.
The jubilee Jesus announced in that synagogue is still available. The question is whether you will receive it.
Ask yourself:
- What shortcoming have I been trying to fix on my own instead of humbly asking God to remove?
- Am I living like someone who has received a second chance, or have I forgotten what I have been given?
- Who in my life needs to hear that a fresh start is possible through Jesus?
