"But, I Sawwee, Daddy"

“But, I sawwee, Daddy” Daughter # 2 said, looking up with her big brown eyes into her daddy’s face, “I willy,willy am” she would continue, putting on the saddest face she could manage.

“Now are you really?  That’s what you told me last time, remember?” Daddy would say looking sternly into her eyes.

“Yes, Daddy, I berry, berry sawwee”, she would reply.

Both of our daughters were very good at saying they were sorry but soon forgot what they had been sorry for and do it again.

“Now, just telling Daddy you’re sorry isn’t enough. Being sorry means that you won’t do something again if Daddy or Mommy has told you not to do it. Do you understand?”

Of course, both girls would wipe away the tears Daddy’s lecture had caused; shake their heads in agreement and promise never to disobey again. Daddy or Mommy’s lectures and discipline didn’t always mean the offense wouldn’t happen again but as we continued to remind them, we had to discipline less and less.

How often do we as adults say “I’m sorry” and never really mean it?  A lot of times, just as our little girls,  we are sorry but it isn’t because we have committed an offense but because we have been caught. Remember, whenever you are truly sorry you are saying you did not mean to do something hurtful or wrong and you promise never to do it again. The problem comes when we continue to repeat the bad behavior or offense. A lot of times, we knew the little girls were saying they were sorry in order not to bring about the discipline they knew would follow.

Most of us who are parents are eager and willing to forgive our children when they disobey us.  We love our children and we want to teach them how to truly be sorry for the times they have sinned and how to forgive those that ask forgiveness of them. How often do we sin and then tell God we are sorry?  Are we like the little girls often were; sorry we were caught?  Our God has promised us that if we confess our sins to Him, He will forgive our sins and remember them no more.

Each day we need to check our hearts and our lives to see how we measure up as Believers. And, we need to remember that we always have a Heavenly Father, who just as our earthly father, wants us to grow to be the examples of Him to others.

“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us

    as the east is from the west.

The Lord is like a father to his children,

    tender and compassionate to those who fear him”. Psalm 103:11-13 NLT