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Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Meditate
Today’s message
Try again. I am writing to those who have heard 'give me another chance' or have asked this of someone. The pain is real, and the fear of repeating the mistake is too. But do not accept that one episode becomes your identity. God does not write destinies with the ink of failure; He sustains stories with purpose. If you have shelved dreams, cooled off in your marriage, grown weary in faith, or stalled in your profession, it is not the end. Those who give up have no story to tell. Lift your head: there is a way when Jesus enters the conversation.
I stand firm on Isaiah 49:15: God does not forget us. Not even when we forget ourselves. Then, I look at Jericho (Mark 10:46): Bartimaeus hears the name of Jesus, shouts without shame, throws off his cloak, and goes. It is the picture of a new beginning. He did not deny his own pain; he took it to the right place. And Jesus asks: what do you want me to do for you? A new beginning starts like this: I return to believe that He cares, I open my mouth, I take a step towards Him.
How do I try again?
- Renew your hope in Jesus — like Bartimaeus, let the name of Jesus reignite your heart.
- Cry out to God insistently — no indirect messages on social media; honest prayer attracts heaven's favor.
- Have expectation for the new — throw away the 'cloak' of labels and move towards what Jesus offers.
Trying again is not ignoring the pain; it is trusting that God can redeem that pain.
Notice: trying again is not naivety. It is not glossing over the pain; it is believing that God can redeem the pain. I apply what I have learned, change my mind, and do differently. It was like this with Bartimaeus: he did not rise to return to the same place; he rose to follow Jesus. And the Lord's invitation remains: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11). A new beginning is not the strength of the arm; it is a response to grace.
So, let's get concrete. If your marriage is bleeding, talk, ask for forgiveness, seek help, and practice love from the start. If your spiritual life has wilted, return to the first works: Bible, prayer, gathering, confession. If your profession has stalled, rethink the route, seek advice, try differently. And above all, throw away the cloak: labels, guilt, narratives that imprison. Failure is an episode; son is identity. Stand up. Jesus continues to call you by name.
Did you know
- In Mark 10, Bartimaeus calls Jesus the Son of David — a messianic title that recognizes Jesus as the promised King.
- The cloak, for a blind beggar in the ancient world, could represent protection and even authorization to beg; throwing it off symbolizes breaking with the old identity.
- Isaiah 49 was written to comfort Israel in exile: even surrounded by human forgetfulness, God reaffirms His active and faithful remembrance.
Key phrases
- Failure is not identity, brother. Failure is an episode.
- Those who give up have no story to tell.
- Renew your hope in Jesus.
- Cry out to God insistently.
Translated from the Portuguese original.
Seek
To seek today
Go deeper
Go deeper
Try Again - Pr.Ivan Leão
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