Today’s Word Is … DO-OVER

New Year’s Day has a wonderful feel to it. What happened last year is behind us, and we have a clean slate to write a new chapter of our lives.

Golfers use the word “mulligan” to describe this opportunity. If someone has a particularly bad shot, they take a mulligan, erasing the last shot and trying again. This is, of course, technically against the rules.  But who cares? A second chance is a great thing! No one knows exactly where the word mulligan came from, but the concept is widely used … and enjoyed!

The USGA (United States Golf Association) Museum mentions a fellow by the name of David Mulligan who frequented St. Lambert Country Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada during the 1920s. Mulligan let it rip off the tee one day, wasn’t happy with the results, re-teed, and hit again. According to the story, he called it a “correction shot,” but his golfing buddies thought a better name was needed and dubbed it a “mulligan.”

Perhaps because Mr. Mulligan was a prominent local businessman, the term, according to the story, caught on among his peers and then spread from there. He brought the term to the United States when he moved to New York and joined Winged Foot Country Club. Other stories of the word’s origin exist, but none can be verified.

For those of us in the Christian faith, it is clear that God is a “do-over” kind of God.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1^st John 1:9

The beauty of this cleansing is that nothing in our past can prevent us from going on toward God’s preferred future in our lives. Claim your do-over! And also, grant a do-over to those around you who need one!

Thank you, Lord, for this new beginning! Today we can start over, unburdened, refreshed, and re-energized!

Have a blessed New Year!

Chaplain Mark