Our Life on Christ

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Saying “I’m Sorry” is for the Birds!



Our first video post!

This conversation was sparked by a conversation Anji had with a friend while watching Oprah. Ali MacGraw, the star of the 1970 movie Love Story, was Oprah's guest and she uttered her famous line, "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

What does that mean, anyway?!

[smartads]

Anji's friend looked over at her and asked if she believed in apologizing. Anji said that she does apologize. Her friend, who will remain nameless, said that almost 100 percent of the time, she will NOT apologize. No matter what.

Watch the video above and let us know: what do you think about apologizing? Are there certain times when you will or will not apologize?

9 comments:

  1. I agree truly believe that whether a person say they are sorry or not it really don't matter. We as children of God must remember our walk with God is about forgiving. So, instead of waiting for someone to say they are sorry we must be able to say I forgive you. That when we release ourselves and move on.

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  2. Very true, Elizabeth! I guess I just like to hear "I'm Sorry." It is just an area in my walk that I need to work on: forgiving without necessarily being asked to. Thanks!!

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  3. Hey Anji & Wil.

    Hmmmmm...to me, apologizing is the recognition to another that you have injured them in some manner and that you care that you have hurt them. When you hurt someone, you make them feel that they don't matter to you, that they aren't important to you. Apologizing to them, repairs that injury, and gives them peace. Answer this question, if you did something against God, would you tell Him you are sorry? Would you ask for His forgiveness? Then should it not also be the same when we hurt one another? How do you feel when someone truly apologizes to you for something they did to you. Does it help you to feel better about yourself and them?

    To me, if we truly love one another, we would not want another to feel bad and cause them pain. And, if we do, we would want to restore them and attempt to repair the damage we have done. It's not for their forgiveness you should want to be seeking, rather, for you to allow them heal and feel true forgiveness towards you. If you don't apologize, they will, intentionally or unintentionally, always feel you meant what you said or did. Not to apologize is a form of selfishness, for, you have forgiven yourself, but, you don't care if the other person is able to forgive you and they still feel that pain. It also weakens their ability to totally trust you again because, not to apologize, also can make one feel they are not respected by you.

    That being said, it also is true that one should always forgive one another regardless! If we don't forgive, then, God will not forgive us for our transgressions. That is true. And, to forgive another is to release that hurt, anger, or injury from yourself. Someone apologizing just helps you to do so quicker. However, it is also important to note, although one may forgive another, it does not mean that it is forgotten. That pain remains, and, without an apology, it will be a scar in any relationship.

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  4. Sorry, I probably rambled...I get so emotional. But, I also wanted to say, that there are times no one means to hurt anyone but something is said unintentionally without any harm meant, and, so, it is important to just forgive for yourself, and, to carry on! We shouldn't "live" there!

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  5. Very true, Ann! I agree, it's not really the forgiveness you should seek but to make the other person feel as "restored" as they possibly can. I like how you mentioned that if we betrayed God, we would ask for His forgiveness--it should be the same way with other people. Thanks for commenting!

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  6. Apologizing was instilled in us from our youth. When we were young, if we wronged someone, our parents would say, "Go back and say you're sorry." That was the normal thing to do. Now since we're older, we must be accountable for what we say. If we do wrong we must always apologize and ask for forgiveness. "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and thy rememberest that thy brother halt aught against thee: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift". (Matthew 5:23-34)

    Thanks, Wil & Angie your site will touch lives.

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  7. Thanks for commenting, Cynthia, and for the scriptural reference! I agree that we have to be accountable for our words and apologize when we are in the wrong.

    Our goal is to touch lives so I hope you are right! :-)

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  8. I apologize when I do something unintentionally such as; misplace something of someones, break something of theirs, step on their foot, or even fart while they're eating! What I don't apologize for is for saying something that I intentionally meant to say. I will apologize and let them know that I'm sorry for hurting their feelings but I will not apologize for saying what I said. I just feel that people too often say what's on their mind and then try to cover it up with an apology because of how bad it may sound or how the recipient may feel after. I'm a firm believer that what's not in your heart cannot come out of your mouth. So I would say to those that apologize a lot, maybe you should have a heart-to-heart with those that you're apologizing to, there may be some serious things that need to be discussed. Or, there may be something that you need to check within yourself if you always have to say something negative that strains relationships.

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  9. Ann, I hear you. I understand and agree with the need to apologize, there are definitely times where an apology should be issued. However, I believe that we sugarcoat things too often. We rarely say what we think and believe until someone pushes us to our breaking point. Once we reach a level of frustration with someone, we stop sugarcoating our words and we let out our real thoughts. I think that if we are more transparent, people would appreciate our honesty and have a great deal of respect for us, hence less need for an apology, because no ones feelings were hurt.

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