The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble. Sometimes, being humble means saying “I am sorry” first.
Think about it. Don’t you find it relatively easy to apologize if the other person says, “I am sorry,” first? Saying it first is sometimes hard to swallow.
You would never claim perfection in marriage. You just believe your spouse was more wrong; he or she ought to say “I am sorry first.” Maybe you clattered your bowl into the kitchen sink and shut the door with a grumpy bang on your way to work this morning and left the milk out for good measure. What silly games we play.
Remember Proverbs 3:34 says, “God mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.” Let your pride go. God mocks mighty mockers, but blesses the broken.
Do you want a special measure of God’s grace? Here is what you do. Flip open your phone and pound speed dial. Follow this script, “I am sorry, I was wrong, will you please forgive me.” Do not, I repeat, “do not,” find yourself continuing after the apology with a criticism of the other person.
You may or may not get a corresponding apology in response. But, you can be assured of the grace of God at work in your life. God blesses the broken.
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I have often wondered why I can hesitate to ask for forgiveness from my wife or anyone else when at the heart of the Gospel is my need to seek forgiveness from God through Christ. Seems as though this is a very common disconnect in our faith and practice. May it not be so.
The Gospel tells me I am a sinner. Do I believe it? If so, why is it a big shocker that I would need to ask forgiveness from someone on a horizontal level?
2 comments:
God blesses the broken - God resists the proud. Do I want to be blessed by God or do I want God to resist me?
Seems like a no-brainer, huh? :)
I had to apologize to someone recently. It can be strangely difficult and scary (even as a Christian) to say to someone, "I have sinned against you." That is what an apology is ultimately about though- having sinned against God and another person? Sadly, as is often the case, my apology (which was made to a fellow Christian) was brushed off with, "Why did you need to apologize?" Sin is treated so lightly today, and often, it is not even acknowledged by Christians where it exists... God knows the truth of our hearts in situations though, and for that reason alone, apologies are necessary in the Christian life.
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