Sorry and it's ok

Galatians 5:14 (KJV)
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Matthew Henry wrote of this verse, “Love is the sum of the whole law; as love to God comprises the duties of the first table, so love to our neighbour those of the second. The apostle takes notice of the latter here, because he is speaking of their behaviour towards one another; and, when he makes use of this as an argument to persuade them to mutual love, he intimates both that this would be a good evidence of their sincerity in religion and also the most likely means of rooting out those dissensions and divisions that were among them. It will appear that we are the disciples of Christ indeed when we have love one to another.”


When our love for God comes first everything else just fits into place. We learn what a true relationship is like. We learn how God’s love for us is not dependent upon our actions. We learn mercy and grace is offered to us when we don’t deserve it. We find God loves us no matter what the circumstance. We find forgiveness for others as God forgave us.

As I watched the TV show “The Middle” last night, Patricia Heaton’s character, Frankie, was struggling with the issue of how people respond in happenstances. She happened to bump into one man’s shopping cart and he became very rude and disrespectful; even when she said she was sorry. Later while taking a group of her son’s classmates Trick-or-Treating the kids happened to be in the way and again Frankie said “I’m sorry”. But the words went unnoticed and the woman who couldn’t get by with her daughter made a rude comment about the kids. This time Frankie wanted to show the children people shouldn’t treat a person that way so she confronted the woman and gave her a lecture. At the end of the frustrated lecture the woman said, “I’m sorry” and Frankie replies, “It’s ok”, smiles and walks off.

We need to learn the words “I’m sorry” and say them when it is perceived we have done something wrong. We also need to let go of anger and replace it with love by saying, “It’s ok, I understand.” Most of us have wronged someone and there are those who have wronged us. Make it right by loving your neighbor instead of hating your neighbor and by forgiving as God would forgive.