ps: I'm Sorry

A Sincere Apology

James 5:16 NKJV
" Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much"

Have you ever noticed? It can be a real challenge to say, “I’m sorry.” Oh, it’s not hard to speak the words, but it can be tough to say them with sincerity.

Why do you suppose that is?

Probably because we understand that to apologize is to accept our own responsibility for ill-spoken words or misbehavior. It requires humility on our part, which can often be confused with giving someone else the upper hand over us. That’s why apologies tend to be viewed as a weakness.

It’s also why people offer apologies that have been stripped of any real meaning. We minimize the severity of our own actions; we blame our behavior on others; or maybe we say all the right words, but dilute them with sarcasm or humor (what I call being Nice Nasty).

Whatever the method, we recognize a false act of contrition when we see it because the result is always the same: the appearance of an apology without the substance of one. And rather than healing, shallow platitudes often deepen a loved one’s wounds. Like a doctor’s empty syringe, an empty apology pierces the soul but offers nothing that can bring healing.

That’s why, far from being a weakness, a heart-felt apology requires strength because it demands deep sincerity on behalf of the person offering it. That inner strength and humility often requires God’s grace to express. The Lord’s role is crucial because mending a relationship-gone-wrong has little to do with the specific words we use to express our contrition. The healing comes from the authenticity we pour into our words and actions.

If you find that you have a relationship in your life that has gone wrong then search your heart, ask for God's grace and say I am sorry and mean it with every fiber of your being. It's never too late to start over fresh with anyone. They may not accept your apology or view you as weak for offering but at least you can stand tall and say to yourself that you tried to start the mending process. The rest is between them and God.

ps: If you are reading this and I have wronged you in any way ...
I am sorry.