I'm Sorry

On Sunday, as our church worshiped through communion, Ridley reminded us of the importance of taking care of business first. That meant if there was anything left unsaid or unresolved with someone in the room, we needed to take care of it right then. I began to examine my heart and pray. I probably could have held up the service for a good hour if I had truly been obedient to take care of all the business I needed to right then. I prayed that God would forgive me for my wrong doings and that He would point those out to me and make them obvious to me well beyond the hour or so we were in service.

At Ridgeview we do things a little different. We worship through communion any way we are comfortable. Some families move off to the side to pray privately. Friends pray at the alter. Individuals find a quiet spot and worship in their own way. It is a sweet, intimate moment. As our family gathered in a circle, our youngest daughter was the first to speak as she said, "I'm sorry for the things I have done to my family." I was blessed, amazed and challenged by her words. I have heard her words in my head several times this week.

One of those times was early in the week at the tail end of the day. The "tail" was much longer than I had pictured for the day as I rushed through the usual ritual at night. We get all the chickadees settled and resettled, the dog taken care of for the night, the inventory of locks and bolt locks, the list of needs for the next day so we can get a jump start, and then, with exhaustion on my face, I head to bed. This particular night I had to head to bed with an "I'm sorry" to Ridley. I had snapped at him a couple of times in the process of going through the ritual. I was tired and dealing with some pain. While standing in the bathroom, I heard Landon's "I'm sorry". Why are those words so hard to get from our heart to our mouth? By all means the circumstances warranted my snappy behavior, BUT my husband did not!

I know as I grow in my faith, I continue to learn more and more about the importance of forgiveness. The need to ask God to forgive me and the need for me to forgive others. That, in itself, is a hard thing to not only do, but to really mean. There is freedom in forgiving and in asking God to forgive us. However, I believe we miss an important part of forgiveness. I think it is easy to tell others we are sorry for their hurt. It is easier to tell others we are sorry for the lies they have been told or for the bad day they are having. We might say we are sorry for someone's loss. How many times are we so freely "sorry" for what we have done to someone (big or small) AND tell them.

Just because I am the mom, doesn't mean I shouldn't tell my kids "I am sorry". Just because I am the best friend, doesn't mean that I get to skip that part of the friendship. Just because I am the wife, doesn't mean I don't have to tell my husband I am sorry because he loves me anyway. There is great maturity in doing right instead of being right. "I am sorry" is a powerful statement. It can tear down walls and bring instant healing. It can take good relationships and make them great!

None of us are ever going to be perfect, but I do believe "Practice makes us a little closer to perfect". Say you are sorry today and watch what the Perfect One will do!