"Beware of meat twice boiled, and an old foe reconciled." How difficult it is to rebuild trust once an enemy has hurt us. The Bible tells us that a brother once offended is harder to win back than a walled city (Proverbs 18:19). Any person can change and truly regret deeds he or she has done to us—but it is natural to keep our guard up. We say, "Once burned, twice shy."

It is easy to say, "Sorry," but far harder to live that "sorry" out in actions. The actions, though, underscore and validate the apology. As we live among people, we will need to accept apologies, and we will have to voice them too. Knowing that our "sorrys" are invalid unless followed by appropriate action can go a long way to help in healing any hurts we cause.