3 Words That Will Make Your Apology a Home Run
Tiff and I are coming up on 12 years of marriage. Awesome. Too many marriages today are being scrapped. This is very sad. I do not attempt to address why this is (at least not in this particular blog). I will briefly say that marriage is a covenant, not just some legal contract. Just saying.
Moving on, some of you know the many battles we have fought through over our marriage: health issues, financial issues, career issues, cancer in a child, and more. No small trials. Some people are frankly we have gotten through it.
Has it been easy overcoming these trials? No. One of the hardest came at just over two years of marriage. We were fighting a lot. We were tired. We were distant. To be frank, I was done.
Thank the Lord - He and Tiff weren't done with me.
Very thankful.
During this time of growth, renewal, repentance, rekindling, and restoration I learned 3 powerful words that take an apology to the next level. In fact, as I see it, it makes it real. It's really where a sincere apology starts.
Ready for these 3 powerful words? Good.
"I was wrong." Yes. Those 3 words contain the magic for a sincere apology. Why? "I was wrong" signifies you acknowledge hurt, wrongdoing, and a break in the relationship. Koinonia is broken because of your actions.
I know from experience and observation, most people skip right pass the acknowledgement of the wrongdoing. We are quick to recognize someone is hurt or mad. We therefore want to move to things being okay quickly.
This isn't good enough. "I was wrong" throws off pride and makes us humble. Proverbs tells us that pride comes before the fall, which is probably what got you into the situation. So shock the heck out of your spouse or whoever the person is that you have hurt and start with "I was wrong." Watch the walls come down.
A quick word about the next 3 words that should inevitably follow, "I am sorry." Sorry means you repent. The same words we must say to God as we accept forgiveness through Christs death, burial and resurrection. To repent means we turn from our sin - our bad behavior. When we say "I am sorry" we are truly saying we repent for those actions and will cease from those actions.
None of this is easy, but it is necessary and sufficient for reconciliation.
Now I asked above if you were ready for those words. Now I ask, "are you ready to do it."
Question: Would you share your stories of your application of these 3 words and the results?
Moving on, some of you know the many battles we have fought through over our marriage: health issues, financial issues, career issues, cancer in a child, and more. No small trials. Some people are frankly we have gotten through it.
Has it been easy overcoming these trials? No. One of the hardest came at just over two years of marriage. We were fighting a lot. We were tired. We were distant. To be frank, I was done.
Thank the Lord - He and Tiff weren't done with me.
Very thankful.
During this time of growth, renewal, repentance, rekindling, and restoration I learned 3 powerful words that take an apology to the next level. In fact, as I see it, it makes it real. It's really where a sincere apology starts.
Ready for these 3 powerful words? Good.
"I was wrong." Yes. Those 3 words contain the magic for a sincere apology. Why? "I was wrong" signifies you acknowledge hurt, wrongdoing, and a break in the relationship. Koinonia is broken because of your actions.
I know from experience and observation, most people skip right pass the acknowledgement of the wrongdoing. We are quick to recognize someone is hurt or mad. We therefore want to move to things being okay quickly.
This isn't good enough. "I was wrong" throws off pride and makes us humble. Proverbs tells us that pride comes before the fall, which is probably what got you into the situation. So shock the heck out of your spouse or whoever the person is that you have hurt and start with "I was wrong." Watch the walls come down.
A quick word about the next 3 words that should inevitably follow, "I am sorry." Sorry means you repent. The same words we must say to God as we accept forgiveness through Christs death, burial and resurrection. To repent means we turn from our sin - our bad behavior. When we say "I am sorry" we are truly saying we repent for those actions and will cease from those actions.
None of this is easy, but it is necessary and sufficient for reconciliation.
Now I asked above if you were ready for those words. Now I ask, "are you ready to do it."
Question: Would you share your stories of your application of these 3 words and the results?
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