Monday, November 08, 2004

"I Owe You An Apology"

At some level, and in some fashion, all of us have felt the sting of negativity. It might be a "teeth bared" diatribe or the more insidious compliment followed by a "but..." Regardless of its expression, negativity takes its toll on our spirits.

Last Sunday, I approached a sweet lady who I knew used our building for a birthday party the day before. After our usual embrace and greetings, I asked about the party. "It was absolutely wonderful, except for the building." "What do you mean?" I asked. "When we got there," she continued, "the building was a mess. We had to take several loads of trash out to the dumpster. The stench was horrible." "I am so sorry," I responded with sincere regret. "Our cleaning crew comes in on Saturday evenings due to the high level of activities we have in our facilities. I do hope, however, that the party went well." She assured me that, not only did the party go well, but she and her family were so grateful for the use of our facilities.

Admittedly, I was a little down, but shook it off pretty quickly. You learn to do that when you're a minister. After all, I had a sermon to preach and many other people to greet. By the end of service, I had completely forgotten about the conversation. Afterward, this dear sister came up to me and, with tears in her eyes, said she needed to talk with me. Not really sure what was wrong, I gave her my attention. She began; "I owe you an apology, brother." "For what," I replied. "When you asked me about the birthday party, it was sinful of me to be negative. Jesus taught us about careless words and that's exactly what they were. I'm so sorry. I should be building you up, rather than tearing you down. Please forgive me."

I told her that she had done nothing to forgive. With stern, but caring eyes, she said, "No, brother, I need your forgiveness. Would you please forgive me?" Tears now welled up in my eyes. "Yes, dear sister, I forgive you." "And," I added, "thanks for demonstrating to me what a real godly heart is like."

I wonder what our world--no our churches--would look like if we adopted this attitude? We just might start resembling the "body of Christ."





3 comments:

Donna G said...

I thank you too for sharing this. I think we sometimes downplay how harmful if not sinful being negative is. Like you said this was not that big a deal, but we all have to start somewhere nipping that kind of attitude. I appreciate you letting us see this wonderful example.

believingthomas said...

Garry,
what a great message. We were blessed to worship with you this past Easter. Crossbridge seems to be such a healthy place. You should think about posting your sermons on the website. Lifting you up today to further the kingdom.

Allen "AB" Brantley said...

I am so glad that you and your sister were reconciled to each other. We both know how careless words can put a stain on relationships. Thankfully, nobody wants it to stay there. The important thing is that we be reconciled to each other. God Bless both of you. I can't wait to come home.