The Sooner the Better

Mar 9, 2017
1 minute read time
A woman looking out a window.
When we slip with our mouths, the sooner we take steps to retract and correct our error, the better.
Rich Brown/Unsplash

Quickly admitting mistakes and apologizing goes a long way toward reconciliation.

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There are moments in each of our lives when we wish we could take back the words that have just come out of our mouths. Sometimes we do not know what to say or hope nobody really heard us speak. We may hesitate, not knowing what to do or what to say, and all too often we do and say nothing. We read in Jesus’ sermon that if we have wronged our brother we are to go to him before coming to God, and that we are to agree with our adversary quickly (Matthew 5:23-25).

When we slip with our mouths, the sooner we take steps to retract and correct our error, the better. A sincere apology given right away shows more of the true feeling of repentance than something held for a while. The Bible says that whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13). Striving for forgiveness today has a far better chance of success than waiting until tomorrow.

This is the Way

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Robert Berendt

Ambassador grad 1970. Pastor in Canada and Germany retired in 2017. On the Council of UCG-Canada and COE of UCGIA. Wife Valerie is British. Four adult children, 14 grandchildren and 7 great.