The Importance of a Second Chance
April 23, 2025
Writer: Jordan Mayer-Brownfeld
Edited by: Jasmine Seiden
We learn early that mistakes can be erased. A pencil slips, a wrong answer is scribbled away, a misspoken word is quickly corrected. But as we grow, we realize that not everything is so easily undone. Some mistakes linger, some apologies come too late, and some wounds, even when healed, leave behind scars. Yet, life has a precarious way of reminding us of our past. At some point, we all cross paths with someone we never expected to see again– an old friend in the grocery store, a former coworker at a red light, the person who hurt us, or the person we hurt, sitting across a crowded room. In those moments, time feels like it folds in on itself, blurring the past and the present, making us wonder: Do we turn away, or do we open the door to something new?
Time changes things. We outgrow places, rewrite our beliefs, soften our edges. But when it comes to people, we hesitate. Can they change? Should we let them? In theory, it’s easy to believe in second chances and to say that people grow, that forgiveness is a virtue. But in reality, the idea of second chances is tangled in hope and hesitation, in risk and reward. As much as second chances lead to healing– to something rebuilt, they equally reopen wounds we effortfully closed. So, we stand at a crossroads: caught between who someone was and who they might become, wondering whether to turn the page or close the book for good.
I am a firm believer that everyone deserves a second chance. One of my favorite things to say to myself when I am facing the line between forgiveness and resentment is “we are all living this life for the first time.” No one has a handbook on how to perfectly live this life. We are all learning as we go, making mistakes, and hoping the people around us will give us the grace to grow.
A willingness to forgive does not come without caution. It doesn’t mean forgetting the hurt or pretending the past never happened. It means recognizing that people are not one dimensional. That just as we as individuals can change, so can others.. It’s about understanding that sometimes, a person’s mistakes are not a reflection of who they are forever, but who they were in a moment they might already regret.
Of course, not every second chance leads to reconciliation. Some bridges are too burned to rebuild, and some people, despite promises of change, remain the same. That’s the risk we take. But if we close ourselves off completely, if we refuse to believe in the possibility of growth, we might miss out on something worth salvaging. Second chances aren’t solely about the other person, they’re about us too. They test our ability to let go, to move forward, to find peace in knowing that we gave grace where we could, even if it wasn’t warranted.
So, when we find ourselves at that crossroads, standing face to face with the past, maybe the question isn’t whether they’ve changed, maybe it’s whether we’re willing to.