Hope In Their Hearts

It's kicking off north and south of the border. Referees around the country will be blowing their whistles to mark the start of the new football season. While the multimillionaire footballers of the Premier League still have another week before they tackle their new campaign, the teams of the English and Scottish Professional Football Leagues will be hoping for a winning start this weekend.

For them and their thousands of fans, the coming weeks will bring new hopes and dreams. Some will hope that the new season will make up for the disappointments of last year. Hibernian, Hearts, Fulham, Cardiff and Norwich all want to make an immediate return to their respective top flights after suffering the misery of relegation last season.

Supporters of other Football League clubs such as Derby, Leyton Orient and Southend will hope that they can go one better than before. They were some of the teams who reached the play-offs but lost out at the end-of-season knockout stage.

Such hopes will be all the stronger for the Football League’s two Albions. For the past two seasons, Brighton and Hove Albion and Burton Albion have reached their division’s play-offs but missed out on promotion both times. The new season gives them the chance to put the so-near-yet-so-far disappointment behind them and reach their goal of going up. A new fixture list, some new signings and fresh opposition mean it’s all to play for as everyone has the chance to try again.

When things in life don’t go according to our game plan, many of us would be glad of a replay - a second or third chance to get it right.

But sometimes when we mess up in the important areas, it’s hard to see how we could ever get another chance. Relationships break down, financial problems mount or our dreams for the future are shattered. We try to save the situation, but nothing works and we look set to pay the penalty for what we have done. When we face those times, life can seem hopeless, we fear for the future and we wonder how we can keep going.

But help is available. There is someone who wants to give each of us a second chance - and that is Jesus Christ. He is willing to help us start again and get our lives back to winning ways.

Before he became a Christian, Bible writer Paul made big mistakes that he later bitterly regretted. But Jesus offered him a second chance. Paul took it. He later wrote: ‘Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 Contemporary English Version).

To belong to Christ we need to admit to him the things we have done that are wrong and ask him for forgiveness. Then he will show us how situations that appear hopeless now can be turned around. He can save us. With Jesus, we have it all to live for.

UK & War Cry 9 August 2014