Especially when apologizing does not always mean that you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your pride.
There are so many situations where people are estranged from one another as the result of something that happened in the past where no one is prepared to make the first move, and we all know families and communities where this has gone on for years.
Saying sorry is powerful – it can restore broken relationships, it opens the way to talking again and forgiveness. Yet we avoid saying it. Maybe because of our pride, maybe because we are fearful of the other’s response.
Saying sorry to one another, or to God, is not the finish of righting a wrong but is a necessary beginning.
It often isn’t easy - King David in the Bible struggled with this too. In Psalm 69 he calls out to God in the midst of his accusers.
And if someone apologises to you, how do you respond? Do we accept their apology even if we are still hurting over the incident or do we continue to let the situation fester? Jesus has something to say about this as well. “Even if it’s personal against you and the wrong is repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.” Luke 17:4
In the Old Testament Joseph forgave his brothers even though they had flung him down a large pit and then sold him as a slave.
Try saying ‘sorry’ this week.
You may find relationships are restored and hurtful situations start to be resolved. With forgiveness replacing bitterness and conflict being replaced with conversation.