Let The Healing Begin!

Last week, we talked about forgiveness. Well, this week, I want to look at the other side of the equation – apologizing. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I truly learned how important and how hard it can be to apologize. I mentioned last time that forgiveness can be tough, but in a lot of instances, apologizing can be just as difficult, if not more so. The thing that makes apologizing such a difficult task is that it requires us to humble ourselves. First we have to be humble and honest enough to admit we were wrong. Then, we have to call on those same two traits to ask the person we offended for forgiveness. When those things are done sincerely, they can be very humbling, especially for the inexperienced apologizer.

TVSee, most of us are used to giving and receiving half-assed apologies. Those are the ones that people offer without much thought or sincerity, and they rarely contain an admission of what was actually done wrong. That ain’t how it goes. A real apology requires some introspection to admit to yourself that you were wrong and that the offended party deserves to be treated better. In addition to introspection, there also has to be some perspective in order to see your actions from the other person’s point of view. Then, it requires the humility to admit the things that you just admitted to yourself to the other person. Finally, a true apology requires maturity because it takes a mature person to be able to offer up an apology and really mean it.

Yes, you may feel a little better once you apologize, but the apology isn’t about you. It’s about showing the other person enough respect to admit that you were wrong and that they weren’t deserving of that kind of treatment. A real apology is about trying to set things right. It’s about doing what you can to start the healing process for all parties involved. If you’ve ever been hurt and later received an apology, you know how much those words can mean and how they often make it so much easier to let things go. Everyone deserves the opportunity to heal, so when you’re the one who did the hurting, step up and also be the one who starts the healing.

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