Are you tired of half-heart apologies? Who isn’t!? The best apologies do not include, if’s, and’s or but’s. Yet, so many spouses listen to feeble attempts everyday that make forgiving their mate’s harder than it has to be.
First, let’s address the real issue. Weak apologies are fake and are insulting to your mate. Poor apology skills invalidate your mate and do the opposite of what saying “I’m sorry” is designed for. It shows that you feel that meaningless apologies are acceptable and that it’s okay not to take responsibility for your actions.
However, an apology is not a prerequisite to forgiveness. An apology is like they cherry on top to begin the forgiveness process. However, they are not mutually exclusive. You can have one without the other. However, to fulfill our Godly mandate on earth we must forgive at all times. God requires you to forgive up to 70 times 7 in a day. 490 times to be exact!
Matthew 18:21-22
God also requires that we stop dragging out our disagreements as well. Many couples, are too engrossed in proving who’s right and punishing who’s wrong in their relationship. Couples often forget the meaning of forgiveness. The character of a person really shows after an offense when one spouse feels wronged by the other. There is power in clear, concise forgiveness. Likewise, there is healing in clear yet remorseful apologies. It is vital that marriages use meaningful apologies to slow the burn of “heated fellowship” to reconnect with their mates. We encourage you to settle matters quickly!
Settle Matters Quickly
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Matthew 5:25
The best way to prevent the love and trust in your marriage from being thrown in prison is making sure when you apologize that you address the real cause for the offense. That is why you need address the five “R’s” when saying “I’m sorry to achieve a real apology in marriage. What is the “R” Factor in an Apology? One thing is for certain the “R” in apology is not spelled with an “R” but it should be! We encourage you to use the following 5 key factors in apologizing meaningfully to your mate.
The “R” Factor Apology
Remorse
Regret
Responsibility
Repent
Repair
Would you like us to fill in the blanks on the keys to a successful marriage? We encourage you to download our latest episode on the Me to We Talk Podcast, “I’m sorry…I’m not sorry”! Learn with us how to stop cringe-worthy apologies and move forward on to a path of positive forgiveness. You don’t want to miss this amazing episode. Download, Share and Subscribe Today!