I don’t know about you, but I find the words “I’m sorry” the hardest words to say in the English vocabulary. Why is that??? With Yom Kippur just around the corner, whether you are of the Jewish tradition or not, I think it is a good time to stop and take account of our relationships, with ourselves and even with God. On second thought, I realize I can say “I’m sorry” pretty easily, but what is really difficult is to say it with sincerity and follow it up with a few words that are even harder to say, “Please forgive me, and/or I was wrong.” I think it is all about pride. We call it all kinds of things like, self-preservation, ego strength, standing up for our rights, but really it is something at our core that makes us want to see ourselves as king of the hill. When we say “I’m sorry,” we have to be humble enough to know that we can’t always be right. That sometimes our desire to control our environment takes over and we end up doing something we aren’t proud of. Sometimes we aren’t even aware that our actions have hurt someone else, or our attitude has splashed over onto others and offended others, even when they weren’t the person we were mad at. Ever done that?
Sometimes the thing we are sorry for seems so big we can’t even imagine reconciliation
. When it is so big and has effected so many others, we sometimes need the help of others to manage the apology. I sometimes have the profound honor of sitting with families during these apology sessions. There is nothing quite like it when a family member comes clean and opens their wounded heart to ask forgiveness for deep, old, and often ongoing hurt they have caused their family. But I am always amazed at how the confessions of a humble heart can have such a soothing and redemptive effect on the other wounded hearts present. Profound and amazing healing begins. It all starts with the tiny words: “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”
Instead of waiting til there is a huge mountain of offenses to apologize for, take an account today and start the healing process. Sometimes it is so simple…just say “I’m sorry.”
