Tuesday, July 16, 2013

"I Sowwy, Gammie!"


2 Corinthians 7:9
. . . yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.  For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

Our granddaughter, Virginia Rose, will be three-years-old in less than a week, and she's growing by leaps and bounds in every measurable way.  One area in which she has shown monumental progress over the last year is talking.  It's hard to believe that, at one point, we were all concerned about this as Virginia demonstrated she understood what we said to her, but wasn't responding verbally.

We can kiss that worry good-bye!  From the minute she enters our house until the moment she leaves, Virginia is a delightful chatterbox.  And, her vocabulary use and pronunciation improves daily.

One phrase she's mastered is, "I sowwy," when she realizes she's done something she shouldn't.  When Virginia visits us recently, she says this every time she lets a BB roll off the table and expects this Gammie to fetch them.

"Virginia," my husband, Danny, says rather sternly, "When you say, 'I'm sorry,' it also means that you won't do this again."

"I sowwy, Papa."

But, this lesson is far from sticking.

On her next visit, Virginia is at the table, messing around with her Play-Doh and BBs, when I get up to make some coffee.  The minute my back is turned, I hear them.  The rattling, tip-tip-tap of renegade BBs hitting the wood floor.

"Virginia!"  I lament, though not unkindly.

"I sowwy, Gammie."

I have to chuckle.  "Virginia, you're getting really good at saying, 'I'm sorry,' but not doing anything about it."

Without missing a beat, she responds, "I know!"

~

How many times have we apologized to someone for a wrongdoing, but didn't change our ways?  Maybe, we said, "I'm sorry," simply to placate another or smooth over a situation for the time being.  Our words came easy, but our hearts and minds harbored insincerity.

St.  Paul makes it crystal clear in 2 Corinthians 7:9 - Being sorry means nothing unless we repent.  Unless we realize the deeds committed must cease.  Unless we seek true forgiveness with contrite and humble hearts.

And, realize that apologies are only as good as our follow through.

~

Have you ever told someone, "I'm sorry," and not meant it?

Please join me in prayer:
Help us, Father, to be sincere when we apologize to others.  Let our words come from hearts which understand that true forgiveness comes from true repentance.  May we always bear in mind Your great gift through Your Son, Christ Jesus, of forgiveness for our sins.  Amen.

21 comments:

  1. I am so jealous of you having a little one come to visit! Virginia Rose seems to have adopted the "It's easier to ask forgiveness afterwards than permission beforehand" approach!
    Lori

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    1. Oh, yes, Lori, she has the forgiveness before permission down pat! :)
      Thanks so much for visiting!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. She must be irresistible, Martha. I don't mean to compare her to Pablo, but he's equally good at apologizing for some mess he's made and is back at it minutes later! :)

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    1. Yes, Corinne, Virginia is a charmer, that's for sure. I love how you could compare her behavior with Pablo's. Lol!
      Thanks so much for coming by!
      Love and blessings!

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  3. What a face on her! Oh boy she's a charmer. Enjoy these early years Martha. You know how quickly they fly by.

    I'm sorry means nothing without action. You might as well just say meatloaf if you don't intend to stop the hurtful behavior. Amen.

    Love you Martha!

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    1. Yep, Leah, she is a cutie and it's impossible for this Gammie to resist that smile of hers. However, we will continue to work on the apologies which actually mean more than meatloaf! :)
      Thanks for dropping by today!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. This is really worth pondering on dear Martha. Sometimes our sorries become so automatic they lack meaning when we say it.

    I try to be aware each time~ not only to be polite but really repent on what I did. It doesn't happen all the time. Thank God for the Sacrament of Confession.

    I pray with you... May we always be reminded of Christ's forgiveness and love for us.

    Thank you for making me so aware... it's one simple word that needs a lot of thought and reflection.


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    1. Thanks so much for visiting, Melissa, and for your thoughtful comment. Even though we don't have an official Sacrament of Confession in the Protestant church, we do have access to our ministers who will listen to us and pray with us if we feel we need to get something off our chests.
      Thank you for sharing in the prayers, my friend. And, yes, may we ever cherish the gift of Christ's forgiveness and love for us.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. We always say sorry for the heck of it...not that we mean ill...but, we simply forget :P
    Virginia will learn to mean 'sorry' soon.

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    1. I hope she will learn soon, Janaki!
      Thanks for coming by!
      Love and blessings!

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  6. I loved this! What a beautiful lesson illustrated in a humerous and compassionate way. I'll definitely be thinking about this and trying to be more conscious of this. p.s. Virginia Rose is such a cutie!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Vrndavana!
      Yes, it is definitely something we all need to stop and think about before we say, "I'm sorry." :)
      I think Virginia is a cutie, too!
      Love and blessings!

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  7. I have told you so many times havenot I ? I just adore the posts where we talk about her as it brings a huge smile on my face and just brightens up the moment :)

    Yes I have said sorry many times even when it is not required but have always meant it.

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    1. I'm so glad the posts about Virginia make you smile, Me, and brighten your day. I must admit, I love writing about her.
      Thanks so much for visiting!
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Actually, I try not to say, 'sorry' and 'love' unless the sentiment is true. Both are disposable words, over used, and tossed around without sincerity. Virginia Rose is excused, of course. I think we reach for 'sorry' when we don't trust ourselves to tell the truth, or think it will get us out of situation. As always, Martha, you make your readers consider their actions.

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    1. Thanks so much for coming by, Brenda, and for your wise words. I agree - the words "sorry" and "love" are too easily bantered about by some folks until they become meaningless. I'm sure Virginia will learn as she grows older. :)
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Oh, I love this... I love watching my kids learn new things, and words... when they learn a new word they will find a way to use it in every sentence, especially my oldest. It is when they start using it in proper context that I'm most impressed.


    You asked, have you ever told someone, "I'm sorry," and not meant it? I'd like to think that I 'meant' it when I said it. But, maybe not. I know I've said "I'm sorry" many times... so many in fact that it lost any value. One of my biggest life challenges is saying what I mean and meaning what I say. With those closest to me I am a big people pleaser. If our actions do not match or words it is incredibly deceptive to others and to self. I've tried really hard to live and learn honest, since I got sober eleven years ago. I had to (re)learn not to apologize for things that I believe that I am not sorry about because my belief system is different from someone else, even if that means I disappoint someone.

    One of the things I practice as an adult, and I hope my kids learn from it --I believe in second chances, so when my kids say I'm sorry, I tell them that I accept their apology and ask them if they'd like a second chance, and they always say yes, so we talk about the action that caused the "I'm sorry" or if they say "I'm sorry I'll ask them what they are sorry about.

    Same goes when I do something that triggers me to say "I'm sorry", I'll talk to them about the reason for the apology.

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    1. Thank you so much, Mommetime, for coming by and for sharing your experience with saying, "I'm sorry," and how you deal with it when your kids do something wrong. It's been a long time since my children were little, and I'm having to relearn how to handle situations with Virginia. Your advice is excellent! Know I've taken it to heart.
      Love and blessings!

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  10. Welcome, Chris, I'm delighted you have found my blog. I will certainly check yours out, too! Glad you plan to visit often.
    Love and blessings!

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  11. This is so cute! Your grandbaby is adorable. I'm sure she will learn soon enough to put action with her words. I personally don't say I'm sorry if I don't mean it. I will take the time to work through what I do feel and I express that instead. What a great message for us all Martha! Thank you!

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting, Tameka, and for your kind words about Virginia. I think she's pretty adorable, too! :)
      And, yes, being sorry means nothing unless we are sincere about it. Knowing you as I do, you could never do anything less.
      Love and blessings!

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