Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.
Joshua 8:1

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READ: Joshua 8:1–29

In the blockbuster 1993 comedy, Groundhog Day, weatherman Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) gets trapped in a time warp, redoing one particular Groundhog Day 38 times—and making reference to another 414 days he’s redone. If we add in the number of longer time warps he mentions in the movie, it’s estimated that Phil redid around 12,400 days! That’s almost 34 years of do-overs.

So long as you’re not stuck in an endless time warp like Phil Connors, a redo can be a great thing. It’s a second chance to do things right: a high-school student gets a redo when her teacher lets her resubmit an assignment she failed. Or in the heat of an argument, a spouse says something over-the-line, but their partner responds, “I don’t think you meant to say that. Want a do-over?” (Yes, please!) In sports, perhaps the most famous redo occurred in the 1994 Olympics when infamous US figure skater Tanya Harding stopped her performance after her first jump, complaining to judges that her shoelace had broken during warm-ups and she didn’t have a good replacement. The judges allowed her to re-skate her program later on (she took 8th place).

Joshua and the Israelites got a redo in their battle against the city of Ai. After a disastrously failed attempt at conquering the city in Joshua 7 (due to the sins of Achan, who stole plunder from God), Israel made things right with God, who forgave them and promised to deliver the city into their hands. God laid out a genius strategy using decoy fighters and an ambush from behind, which Joshua followed to a tee. The plan worked perfectly, and their victory over Ai and its king was complete.

Sometimes, getting a redo is a matter of grace. But other times—as Joshua and the Israelites experienced on the battlefield that day—it’s earned by making wrongs right.

The grace of Christ looks different. Technically, because all our sins are forgiven, we could just keep on sinning and live a life of infinite redos, right? Nope. The apostle Paul addresses this Groundhog Day way of thinking in his letter to the Romans: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2).

A STORY OF THEN & NOW

The God of Redos | Anthony W. | Willow Huntley

In high school, I was driven by selfishness. I chased what I wanted without thinking about how it affected others—especially my dad. Our relationship grew so strained that in college, I didn’t speak to him for six months over things that now seem small.

Then a couple years later, my older brother encouraged me to explore the Bible, and a friend invited me to Willow. I was hesitant, but once I visited, something kept pulling me back. As I kept showing up, God started softening my heart. I realized how pride had damaged my relationships, including with my father, and that led me to own my part and apologize. We reconciled, and God gave me a redo. He restored what I had broken.

Other parts of my life began changing, too. Friendships deepened, and I began to see how even tearing my ACL in high school—an injury that ended my ability to play both football and baseball—became part of something bigger. After surrendering my life to Jesus, I got a surprise text from my old high-school quarterback coach, giving me an opportunity to play football again at the college level—in Bristol, England! That moment reopened doors I thought were closed, reminding me that God wasn’t finished with my story.

Today, I serve with Willow Kids, mentor young athletes through SoCal Shepherds, and play baseball at a university in Arizona. I’ve learned that my gifts and the redos God has given me aren’t just for me—they’re meant to honor Him and bless others.

Proverbs 3:5–6 keeps me grounded: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and he will make your paths straight.” God is still at work in me—and I’m all in.

DID YOU KNOW?

For the third time in the first eight chapters of Joshua, God instructs the Israelites to construct a monument made of a pile of stones: after crossing the Jordan River (4:20–24), to bury Achan after stoning him (7:26), and to bury the king of Ai (8:29). The first monument was one of celebration—to mark God’s miraculous parting of the Jordan. The other two are burial piles, with no mention of them being markers worth remembering. Perhaps this is a reflection of the gravity and human cost of those two victories.

A PRAYER

God, how grateful I am that through Christ, I get a redo every time I fall short. Help me never take advantage of Your grace. May I always count the cost of my wrongdoings and make things right with You and with others. Amen.

FOR REFLECTION

Describe a time when you were the recipient of a memorable redo. How did that redo make you feel?

Share a time when you offered a redo to someone. What were the results in their life? In yours?