The Power of an Apology

I have a student, almost every teacher can say at some point that they have had that student. Not a bad students, but the student that takes more attention and needs more love. I do absolutely love this students, but he can also exhaust me. Everyday is unknown. Someday are great and some days are not. Somedays, he is super focused, on task, and lots of fun. Other days he cannot complete a single task without one-on-one attention. 

One day, we had a bad day. WE, not just him, but me as well. I don't remember why, but for some reason, I was short that day. We both knew it. We both knew that two people having a bad day do not lead to a good day. I think because we both knew, it didn't turn into anything worse. Really just frustration. 

The whole point of me sharing this is what happened the next day. I hadn't told anyone about this bad day that we had both had. I knew that because I was not in a great mood, I couldn't really fully complain about his behavior. But the next morning, when he came into my room, he walked over to me and APOLOGIZED! 

I was SHOCKED! I, the teacher, had not really thought to apologize, but this 7 year old, with no prompting, did. I also apologized to him and we both laughed about how two people in bad moods don't make a good thing. 

The kid, who has lots of tough days, decided to apologize. 

I am always learning from my students! And this was a lesson, or maybe better worded as a reminder, that I needed. 

We all make mistakes. It is inevitable. Unfortuantely, I did not group up in a house full of "I'm sorrys". I grew up with a "just get over it and move on" mentality. But I realize how much an apology can mean. 

Really, it is one of the things that made me fall in love with my husband. He is willing to admit when he has done something wrong and, maybe not always right away, but he always apologizes if he has done something that he knows has upset or hurt me. 

Apologizing is something that I need to work on. I will say that I have gotten a lot better at it over the years, but I think we can always get better. We can always be more humble in our apologies and simply in the way that we treat others. We should try to be more sympathetic and think about what others are feeling, what they are going through, how something might affect them. 

In my small group bible study, we recently went through the book of James and almost every week, we talked about humility. 

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.” -Prov. 3:34 (James 4:6)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. -James 4:10

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. -Ephesians 4:2


Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. -Acts 2:38

The Bible teaches us to repent and I think that part of repentance is being able to admit that we are wrong. (Being HUMBLE!) And that is where I have the most difficulty. I like to be right! Don't we all?? But I think there is some power in knowing that we don't have all the answers. Knowing that we are not perfect but GOD IS! 

Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I can't say it any better than that. When we realize that we are not perfect and we trust in God, His glory shines though.