Most of us have had the experience of losing courage, and regretting it. We berate ourselves as weak, spineless, and not worth much. We are hard on ourselves. We don’t want to make the same mistake again, but now, we see ourselves as less than we really are. Why didn’t I stand up? This is especially true if you have let down someone you love. Or maybe even betrayed them. How can we get over that? How can we make it better for the one/ones we disappointed or hurt?
Fully acknowledging our mistake is a necessary first step. The blame is ours–no one else’s.
We must gather the strength to apologize. An apology cannot erase the wrong, but it can help us move forward, hoping that the hurt we caused did not entirely destroy the relationship.
We may be subjected to their deserved anger. We must listen to it, and bear it.
We must ask for God’s forgiveness. Hurting another human being–God’s child–is an affront to God.
We can make a new commitment to the one/ones we hurt, but we must intend to carry it out. Our promises cannot be empty ones, or short term.
We must be patient enough to wait for forgiveness from the other–knowing it may not come soon, if at all.
Still, we can be the answer to our own mistakes by forgiving ourselves and gracefully moving forward with the knowledge our experience has shown us.
Translating a World on the Edge 