I am not the best at apologizing. It can be a challenge for me as my pride flares up and my desire for validation for my feelings instruct me to do anything else but apologize.
To say the words…
I was wrong.
Will you forgive me?
…they all require a heart of humility. Something I desire, but do not always have. However, the times that I have prayed to God for help in this area, He graciously moves my heart to apologize. The impact an apology can on my family is beautiful as it reconciles us. Whether I am apologizing to my husband or my child, it creates an atmosphere of peace where love can truly thrive.
Have you ever considered the impact your apology makes on your family, especially when you apologize to your children?
I wrote on article on The Better Mom sharing the importance of apologizing to my child, including how I do it and why I do it. You can read that HERE!
My husband and I have become better at apologizing over the years. It is an aspect of our communication that was never very strong, yet after 8 years of marriage we have learned the importance and the art of apologizing. Two things that really helped was acknowledging when an apology was needed and responding as immediately as possible, and when we apologize we specifically address why we are doing so.
Sometimes after my husband and I argue or rub each other the wrong way, one of us will apologize and the other will respond with an apology too! This mutual humility really helps us overcome those small moments of friction that tend to rise up when least expected and it keeps us from harboring bitterness in our hearts that would otherwise ruin the rest of our day.
We found in scripture that God gave us the ministry of reconciliation, and we believe we must be willing to reconcile in our family first and foremost. If we are at odds with each other, we will be useless to encourage and affirm others. So our goal is reconciliation through apology and forgiveness!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. – 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
