Do you remember the movie Love Story? It was a hit several decades ago. The most famous line in the movie was, “Love is never having to say you’re sorry”. Some agreed with the quote wholeheartedly. Others considered it the most insipid line of all time.
Personally, after flip-flopping on the issue, I have come to agree with the quote. In my opinion, if you are in love you should avoid the word ‘sorry’. Use a more courageous phrase such as, “I was wrong”.
A mentor once told me about a ‘four step apology’. The first step is to say, “I was wrong”. The second step is to state specifically what you did that was wrong. Step number three requires you to say what you plan to do differently in the future. And, the final step is to ask for forgiveness.
The word sorry is excluded from the apology because saying you’re sorry does not admit guilt to being wrong and contrite. When I was growing up back east my Italian friends would raise their voices and say, “Yo, I’m sorry, get over it”.
I made a big mistake sharing this four step apology with my wife. She loves it, particularly when I make a mistake. She now simply smiles and holds up four fingers. That’s her way of saying, show me how strong you really are, admit you are wrong and ask my forgiveness.
At first it was more difficult to use this formula than bench press 325 pounds. As time went on I began to realize that in the second half of our lives, God measures us by the size of our hearts, not by the amount of weight we can lift, or the number of listings or sales we close.
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