Saying "I'm Sorry"

I had to swallow my pride tonight and say...

"I'm sorry."

Why is that so hard to do?

It's especially hard to do when you think the other person was in the wrong to begin with. But when you respond to the wrong in a way that is wrong, that's wrong.

Right?

Well, tonight a young kid at a guitar store working behind the counter refused to take a bookmark gospel tract from me when I was buying some guitar strings. He sort of sneered, "I know what that is."

It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with my bookmark tract.

I replied, "Don't you like to read?"

He mumbled something in return and had a disgusted look on his face.

Then I really blew it - I said, "Well, I appreciate your friendliness tonight."

Not the right thing to say, because I said it very sarcastically.

He retorted with another mumbled zinger and we sort of both went our way giving each other the kind of look that says, "You're an idiot."

Of course, I got in my car and I was pretty mad. I mean after all, I was the customer. And after all, he was a jerk about not taking my tract. And after all...

But no matter how hard I tried to justify my bonehead behavior, the Holy Spirit was convicting me that I had not heeded the words of Jesus: "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matt. 5:39).

Why does Jesus always do that? He always has just the right thing to teach you right when you aren't feeling very teachable.

Well, about a half hour later, I called the store and asked to speak to the kid who I treated badly. Unfortunately, he had already left for the day. But I was able to speak with the manager. I told him that I had treated his employee poorly and that I was calling to apologize.

He was shocked. He said he never gets calls like this one - most customers who call are calling to chew him out, not to apologize.

He assured me that he would pass along my apology to the employee the following day, and he thanked me for calling.

Boy was that a hard call to make. I really had to swallow my pride.

Believe me, I am not patting myself on the back here. I'm just sharing this with you to encourage you to not return evil with evil - return evil with good.

Just like Jesus said to do.