Daily Devotions
The Problem with Forced Apologies
Reading for October 24th: Luke 2-3
Weekly reading for October 18-24: 1 Peter 1-5
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another fervently from a pure heart...
1 Peter 1:22
According to a recent OnePoll survey of 4,000 adults, 70% of us don't mean it when we apologize. Why? The survey didn't say but perhaps we're apologizing to be polite or to get someone off our back. Whatever the reason we make a lot of insincere apologies.
The survey also suggested that even a forced apology would work. People respond to an apology even when it is less than sincere. A bad apology is better than no apology at all. But, as those who have been born again, we understand that God has called us to a higher standard. God wants more than apologies. He wants broken hearts. He is looking for hearts that have been transformed by the message of the gospel. A mere apology is not enough, there must be genuine sorrow behind it.
This is not to say we hold off on saying the words, "I'm sorry" until our heart is fully behind it. As Christians, we do what's right regardless of how we feel about it. But we must not be satisfied with forced apologies. We must empty ourselves to the point that we sincerely grieve over the pain we've caused others.
Purify our hearts, Father. Give us a fervent love that will put others ahead of self. Help us to say "I'm sorry" and truly mean it.
