What Does 'Sorry' Mean - Discussing True Repentance

Sorry is a word that we have all heard and used during our lifetime. I would say that, in my experience, I personally have heard the word 'sorry' a lot more than I have heard the phrase,'love you'. But just because it is said quite often does not mean that it is said because it is true. The word 'sorry' has become, what I call, an automatic word. It is a word that it said without thought about the meaning and as a result the power of the word, in most cases, is not realized.

Webster's Dictionary (1913) defines 'sorry' as: Grieved for the loss of some good; pained for some evil;feeling regret; - now generally used to express light grief or affliction, but formerly often used to express deeper feeling.

The fact that sorry was once used to express a deep feeling of regret but is now used to apologize for a light grief shows how the meaning of sorry has lessened considerably. It can even be further argued that sorry is used to dismiss a light grief and is not necessarily said because of regret.

“Would 'sorry' have made any difference? Does it ever? It's just a word. One word against a thousand actions." Sara Ockler from Bittersweet

Words like 'remorse', 'regret', 'repentance' and 'sorrow' all sum up what the word 'sorry' means but most people do not realize, or choose to forget the fact ,that sorry actually means that you will never do it again or that you will at least try or strive to never do it again.

Sorry does not mean that you will do something to make up for the wrong you have committed because once a wrong is done it cannot be undone. However, because you are sorry, you do try to do good after and you flee from the way that led you to the wrong in the first place.

Let's say that you run over your little brother's bike with your car. The bike is destroyed and you are sorry. You buy him a new bike to replace the one he lost. Just because you have bought him a new bike does not mean the destruction of the old one did not happen and it does not erase the wrong that was done. It helps your brother to feel better after the wrong was done and it assures your brother that you have had a change of heart.

The fact that a wrong act cannot be undone is proven through Jesus Christ Himself. If wrong acts could be undone, then wouldn't it stand to reason that all of mankind's sin could be erased? No one would have to be punished if wrongs could be undone. Jesus had to take sin upon Himself because the wrongs (that is the sins of the world) had to be dealt with. His death was not a good deed to make people forget about sin. It was a sacrifice that was the only thing that could scrub clean the filth that is sin. However, because of His sacrifice we can now flee from sin and try to do good in order to please Him.

Have you ever been told sorry and you didn't feel like it was enough?

It is probably because the person showed no signs of being sorry. They simply said the words because it was expected of them but their behavior, that is the behavior that caused the wrong never stopped. The person never changed his/her actions.

Have you ever lied to yourself and pretended to forgive a person who said it even though you did not believe they meant it?

That is probably because you have heard all about how good forgiveness is for the soul and you want to be a forgiving person because you just know that holding a grudge just is not right. Instead of speaking to the person about your hurt you push it under the rug so people will think of you as a good person.

"And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17 K.J.V.

Have you ever said sorry to someone and did not feel like it was enough?

This is probably because you truly are sorry and, because you know the way apologies are trivialized, you are not certain your message has gotten across and that the person has forgiven you. Many times people do not forgive because of the way the word sorry is bandied about. It is much harder to believe that an apology is sincere in this world today and as a result people are very jaded when they are apologized to. Perhaps this is why it is so hard for some to just 'Let it go'.

The best way to deal with 'sorry' is to be honest about it.

When someone is apologizing and you do not feel as though they are being honest about it, you could tell them about it (which may just start an argument) or, if you do not believe them, you can extract yourself from the situation that caused the wrong so that you can ensure they never do that wrong to you again. This is not the same as holding a grudge because it does not involve hating a person or resenting them but simply stepping away from them.

When apologizing to someone, you can try your best to be sincere about it and demonstrate to the person your remorse by acting differently and being sensitive to their feelings. Perhaps through your actions others may begin to believe in the power of the word 'sorry'.

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