The Mario Kart franchise is one of the best selling video game series of all time. Even non-gamers get excited to grab a controller and race against their friends using the game’s colorful cast of characters, chaotic items, and accessible mechanics.
However, as beloved as the franchise is, the game’s comeback mechanics can be fairly controversial. Through these mechanics it is not uncommon for a player in last place for most of the race to end up in first place when all is said and done by using powerful items that are available only to them testing test like the Bullet Bill power up or the dreaded Blue Shell that targets the lead player.
While some players view these comeback mechanics as unfair, other players love them because it means that even if you don’t know anything about video games you have a chance to place well in the race or at least the chance to do something that makes you feel cool. To them, it means that they can actually be part of the game and join in on the fun even if their skills aren’t the best.
For those of us who feel as if they don’t have much to offer in life, it would be nice to have a real life version of these comeback mechanics. Maybe it feels as if past decisions and circumstances have put you in last place and you just can’t catch up. Or perhaps the consequences of personal or systemic sin have put you in a hopeless position that no amount of skill or hard work can get you out of.
The good news if you find yourself in such a position is that God has introduced His own comeback mechanic into His fallen Creation through Jesus’ defeat of death on the Cross. Through His sacrifice Jesus offers forgiveness of sins, fullness of life, and a purpose for living for anyone who chooses to follow Him.
That means that no matter how much you’ve done wrong in this life or how much evil you’ve done or how much hurt you’ve caused others, you can always come to the Cross to be made right with God through Jesus.
Just ask the criminal who had lived his whole life in rebellion to God only to repent in his last moments as he hung on a cross next to Jesus. Jesus gave him a comeback when He promised the dying man a place in paradise alongside himself (Luke 23:39-43).
Or ask Peter who denied knowing Jesus at the time when Jesus most needed a friend (Luke 22:54-62). Jesus forgave Peter and restored him as a leader in the early Church (John 21:15-19). Another comeback.
Or look to Paul (formerly Saul) who imprisoned and persecuted early Christians. It’s impossible to know the scale of suffering he brought upon those who followed the way of Jesus. You would think that such a man would be beyond redemption. But an encounter with the resurrected Jesus initiated a comeback that led to Paul establishing several Christian Churches, authoring multiple books of the Bible, and bringing the hope of Jesus to those outside the Jewish world (Galatians 2:7).
It’s clear that no matter how much you’ve screwed up you can always come to the Cross and find a God Who loves you and offers you a chance to make a comeback.
Yes, your comeback may tick people off. Those who are in first place tend to feel very defensive when it comes to their perceived sense of superiority. But they didn’t design the game of life. God did. So He’s the One Who gets to decide how the game is played and Who gets a chance at making a comeback.
Thank God that He has decided that we all get His help despite how little we deserve it or how poorly we play the game.
Besides, unlike Mario Kart, this isn’t a competition. You’re not playing against each other for the prize of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. You having the ability to make a comeback and win because God decided to give you something you didn’t earn doesn’t mean that everyone else loses.
In this race, we can all be winners if we choose to accept the grace, mercy, and forgiveness that is offered to us freely through the Cross of Jesus.
Even if you’re in last place and life looks hopeless, you can always make a comeback because of Jesus.
Thanks for listening. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
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