Do you ever remember things you said or did to someone else when you were a child and now you regret it? As you grow older, you see the foolishness of some of the mean things you said or did to others. You wish you could go back and make it right.

Recently, an incident where I was unkind came to mind. Okay, I was not just unkind, I was mean. It happened from me to another girl when I was twelve years old. As I contemplated the situation, my heart desired to apologize and make it right. God must have heard my silent plea because a classmate put me in touch with her.

I wrote her and apologized and wondered how she would respond and if I would ever hear from her. I had to step out of my comfort zone and take the risk. Even if she didn’t respond in a favorable way, at least I needed to take responsibility for my hurtful actions.

Fortunately, she responded graciously, “Of course your apology is accepted.  With a God who forgives us of so much more, how can we not forgive others for smaller things?”

Though this incident took place many, many years ago, God gave me a second chance to make it right and she forgave me. Some may think it’s unnecessary to apologize for things that we did as a child or that happened as a child. What they don’t realize is that when we take responsibility for our actions, we can bring healing to the child within. Even if the other person doesn’t respond well, you know you did what you could to make it right.

How about you? Do you have someone you could apologize to? Is there an unresolved conflict? Maybe it didn’t happen as a child but as an adult and the situation has never been made right. If someone comes to mind, gather your courage to connect with them to apologize.

If you don’t know how to contact them, ask someone who knows how to connect with them. If you pray, you can ask God to arrange it or ask Him to let them know somehow that you are sorry.  Do what you need to do to make an effort to connect with the person to make things right.

If you are unsure how to go about it, review my post on tips for sharing thoughts and feelings. You might find something that will give you insight.

It’s never too late to show some kindness and offer an apology to heal old hurts. Go for it! It may be hard at first but you’ll be glad you did.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in
Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)