*MY EARLY EVENING LESSON* _TOPIC: *YOU CAN START AGAIN; YOU CAN LOVE AGAIN...*_ Life is a journey filled with twists, turns, setbacks, and second chances. It is a book with many chapters, some of which are written in the ink of joy, others in the ink of sorrow. Some pages are stained with tears, others with the sweat of resilience. But no matter what has happened, you can start again. You can love again. For me, failure is not the final. Many people believe that failure is the end of the road, but failure is only a bend on the road. The dust on your feet is not a mark of shame, it is a testament that you have been on a journey. Proverbs 24:16 tells us, "Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." Falling is human, but rising is divine. Every great man or woman you admire today has scars from battles they once fought, but they did not remain on the battlefield of defeat. They rose, dusted themselves off, and tried again. Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before inventing the light bulb. Nelson Mandela endured 27 years in prison but still emerged as a leader of reconciliation. Even Peter, the disciple of Jesus, denied Him three times, but in the end, he became the rock upon which Christ built His Church. Your failures, heartbreaks, and disappointments do not define you. You are more than your past. Life sometimes breaks us in ways we never imagined. A failed relationship, a betrayal, a loss, a rejection, or a shattered dream can leave us feeling unworthy, unloved, and abandoned. All I want you to know is that God is not done with you. When a piece of gold is thrown into fire, it does not lose its value. Instead, it becomes purer. Likewise, when you go through trials, God is refining you for a greater purpose. Isaiah 61:3 says He will give you "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." What the enemy meant for evil, God will turn around for your good. Some of us have loved deeply, only to be wounded by those we trusted. Some of us have given our hearts, only to have them broken into a thousand pieces. The pain of betrayal, the sting of rejection, and the scars of past relationships can make us afraid to love again. I want to remind you that love is still worth it. Just because someone mishandled your heart does not mean your heart was not meant to love. A bad experience should not make you build walls so high that no one can reach you. If your heart is still beating, it means it can still love. If God has kept you alive, it means there are still people He wants you to meet, love, and be a blessing to. Begin again. Dream again. Trust again. Love again. You were not created to remain stuck in yesterday’s pain. Step out of the shadows of regret and step into the light of hope. There are still songs left to sing, places left to explore, and people left to meet. You can start again. You can love again. Your servant, _@ Fr. Albert Nwosu' (Nwachinemere)_