Recently in one of our family devotions we spoke about Esau who was the brother of Jacob. In Hebrews 12:16-17 ERV we read … And be careful that no one is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have inherited everything from his father. But he sold all that for a single meal. You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to get his father’s blessing. He wanted that blessing so much that he cried. But his father refused to give him the blessing, because Esau could find no way to change what he had done. 

This passage tells us about Esau, who I will say, was not given a second chance to claim his destiny. In reading about Esau one would come to the conclusion that he was somewhat impulsive. Rarely thought through the decisions he made and the implications they had on his life. He was always busy with other things instead of what his position dictated, that of taking over from his father Isaac as first born. Esau did not take his birthright serious and for a bowl of stew offered to him by Jacob his brother gave up his birthright. When he realized what was happening it was too late, he could not reclaim his position because it was already awarded to Jacob.

There are many lessons to be learned from the story of Esau and Jacob such as lack of direction, deception, forgiveness, not taking life seriously, prosperity etc.( and I encourage all to read it). I, however, would like to focus on “second chances”. I feel compelled to highlight that like Esau not everyone gets “second chances” at their destiny, at making right a wrong, at receiving eternal life. We need to live our lives in the moment sometimes especially where “second chances” are concerned. We should not assume that we will get “second chances”. We need to make good decisions for ourselves and others when we are able to, when we are in our right minds, when all our faculties are intact.

We do not want to miss out on opportunities that God has planned for us the way Esau did. So let us endeavor to pray and ask that our eyes be opened so we can see what God is putting before us. So we can see and appreciate the relevance to our lives and others and therefore act accordingly in the moment without delay. In doing that we will eliminate the human side of us that may encourage a need and dependence on “second chances”.