June 19, 2020• Ben Moore

Lessons from a Dad: Part 8 Apologize often

Luke 9:23 (ESV) “And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”‘

Recently, I began writing a series of blogs as a result of reflecting on the 20th anniversary of my dad’s death. In the first one, I placed a list of 10 things I want to teach my girls. At the bottom of this post are links connecting you with the previous posts.

Apologize often.

As I sit to type this post out I am struggling with presenting it the way I want it to be heard and understood. I am sorry. On one level, this is a really simple lesson. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has plenty of opportunities to apologize. So do it. Apologize often. Own your mistakes and the fact you that you might have hurt someone else. Yet, at the same time, I know it is so hard to apologize sometimes. Why? Pride.

Both of you girls are 50% your father – Bryn you may be 52%. This means that you have inherited a sinful nature, and though your mom is so much better than I am, she, too, is a sinner. You have inherited that from her, also. We inherited that from our parents, who inherited it from their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve. This doesn’t mean that we are as bad as we could be, but it does mean that sin is spread throughout everything we do. This means that we are broken. This means that the world is broken. I pray you girls will become believers in Jesus, because He has come and dealt with our sin and the just wrath of God against our sin on the cross. Rest your soul in that good news. However, because we are sinners, this means that you will hurt others – sometimes intentionally, other times unintentionally. Apologize often. You are not perfect – no one is. It is a display of strength and trust that the Lord is working on you when you apologize.

This is hard, though. This means that the pride and arrogance that creeps into our hearts must be seen as something that is not of the Lord. It is sin. We need to see it for what it is in order to kill that sin in us. This is difficult to do in a culture and in a world that wants to encourage you to “do what makes you feel good” and “live in whatever way you please”. Pride and arrogance are not seen as sin in the broader culture, and to call it out as such leaves a bad taste for a lot of people. However, the truth is, we do not need to “be better” or “do more” or “act better” or “be true to yourself”. We need someone outside of us to come and rescue us and provide a way to save us from the sin in which we are deeply stained. If you girls will recognize that you are not perfect – that no one is – and that your only hope is in the ONLY perfect one – Jesus. This sets you on a Gospel-centered path for your life. This is where your pride, which will never want to admit a wrong, dies, and you can apologize to others. Repentance.

I’m sorry,

Ben Moore

Introduction to series blog –

https://fbcira.com/blogs/2464693–may-3-2000

Lessons from a Dad –

Jesus is Better Than You Can Ever Imagine