Sorry Seems to Be the Easiest Word
I've been thinking about repentance lately, about what it means to prove that you are sorry when you've wronged someone, about what it means to make it right after you've made it wrong.
Maybe it's the news lately giving me reason to think about it.
Reggie Bush wronged more than a few people: his family and friends, his teammates, the Heisman Trust, the fans of USC football (and of collegiate football in general), Vince Young, and presumably lots of other folks affected by his decision to take improper benefits as an amateur athelete in college.
The power brokers over at British Petroleum wronged more than a few people: the eleven individuals who died on their oil rig and the families who loved them, the hard working fishermen who depend on the Gulf's seafood for their livelihood, the stockholders who invested in the company, the gas station owners whose sales have been slashed by the company's negligence, and presumably lots of other folks affected by their decision to ignore concerns about the safety of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.
Or maybe it's the fact that I'm preaching through the gospel of Luke right now, moving swiftly to the nineteenth chapter in which we read about Zacchaeus and his encounter with Jesus, about his confession of guilt before the Lord, and about his commitment to compensate four times over those whom he defrauded.
Or maybe it's some other events going on in my life and in the life of our church.
Regardless of what's causing me to think a lot about it, the outcome is the same. In the process of spending a good deal of time thinking about what it means to take responsibility for the sins we've committed against others, I am arriving at one general conclusion: saying "I am sorry" is an important, even essential, part of the reconciliation process, but it's just the beginning. The real evidence of our contrition lies within our willingness to make it right in the eyes of the ones we've offended, to ask what it would take to establish again the other person's trust, and then to pursue that course of repentance with great vigilance.
As Christians, of course, we do so in the confidence that our sins have been forgiven by God through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We do so as people who understand that wrongs can never be completely made right unless love-driven forgiveness leads the way. And we do so with the assurance that God's grace doesn't eliminate the need for us to repent; it gives us the inspiration we need to see repentance through until the ones we have hurt can say not only "I forgive you," but also "and I am willing to trust you again."
kyle | 6 Comments
Reader Comments (6)
Yes! This is a lesson that I drill with the boys all the time: don't just tell me (or your dad, or the brother that you just slugged) that you're sorry: prove to me that you actually have a contrite heart by the actions that you're doing to take from here on out. A lesson that all of us need to learn and practice as often as it takes...
And thanks for the trip back to 6th grade via Elton John lyrics! :)
I think Luke gets it right: "Four times over" is very symbolic of the energy it takes to be redeemed compared to the energy it took for us to commit the sin in the first place. :)
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The real evidence of our contrition lies within our willingness to make it right in the eyes of the ones we've offended, to ask what it would take to establish again the other person's trust.
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