There's a word in the divine game of Golf. A beautiful word. A wonderful word. A word of magical, time-altering power. Mulligan. Not a repeat or another try, but a pure "do over", as though the first effort has been erased from all recorded history and never existed. Here's an example.

Once upon a time, my dad teed up his ball and scanned the fairway. Just 30 yards ahead lay a small pond. He had this thing about water. Regardless of size---lake, pond, bucket---his ball would find it. He drew back the driver and swung for all he was worth. Alas. The ball dove into the watery grave.

Dad glared at the pond. "Mulligan," he said through clenched teeth. The next 3 balls followed the exact path of the first, each accompanied by an increasingly vocal Mulligan! My brother and I struggled not to laugh. Finally we convinced him to drop a ball on the other side of the pond.

Wanting to put this embarrassing episode behind him, he crushed the ball with a mighty stroke. The ball shot in the air, veered right, struck a tree, and ricocheted back, barely missing him. We stared in disbelief as the ball bounded gleefully into the pond. I lost all control and laughed hysterically.

In any game, a Mulligan can be handy. We start over, pretending the bad shot, kick or play never occurred. We may remember, but the scorecard doesn't. We have changed the outcome.

Mulligans are also in the Bible. Think about it. Jacob, David, Peter, Paul. They all messed up but God gave them a Mulligan, an opportunity to start fresh. As followers of Christ we have our own. We were doomed in sin, yet Jesus gave us a second chance...a "do over"...a Mulligan for a new life.

Yet while God lovingly gives us such an incredible gift, He never takes one for Himself. For God has said, I the Lord do not change (Malachi 3:6a).

There are many references to "change" in the Bible. These generally refer to turning around or in a new direction, usually out of regret, pity, comfort, or vengeance. But not here!

Malachi uses the Hebrew word shanah. Its imagery is of someone doubling back, returning to a place and time in order to try again, i.e. "do over". Shanah refers to a Mulligan. So what is God saying?

I have nothing to do over, no need to try again. I make no mistakes. I don't do Mulligans!

There's great comfort in that. We all have times when we could have, should have, would have done better, if only... There is no "if only" for God. We may not understand what's going on. We may feel lost and confused. But not God. He always knows. He's always certain. And He's always right.

God called you to follow Him. He sees in you incredible worth and value, not only as His adopted child but as His messenger to love and encourage others. He trusts you with an awesome responsibility.