Hello everyone,

Today was my turn to give the morning bible talk. I chose a passage about “saying sorry” and talked about a story from my family. I hope you found it interesting. Thanks as always to Otani-sensei for helping to translate it. The passage is from Luke, chapter 17.

3 So be careful! “If your brother sins, tell him he is wrong. But if he is sorry and stops sinning, forgive him. 4 If your brother sins against you seven times in one day, but he says that he is sorry each time, then forgive him.”

Here is a story from my grandfather. David, my uncle, and his best friend Dougie were playing together all summer. They wanted to do something new, and they had an idea to build a fort. So, they asked my grandfather for help. My grandfather said he would find the wood, David would make the plan, and Dougie would bring the nails. The boys were very excited.

Four walls, four windows, two doors and a floor were built. After they finished it, they played in the fort every day for two weeks. Their imagination helped them make many games, and their laughter filled the neighborhood.

One day my grandfather came home and found David sitting beside the fort, crying. It was destroyed. Broken wood was everywhere. “What happened?!” asked my grandfather.

“Dougie and I had a fight, and so he wanted his nails back.”

Learning to say “I’m sorry” is one of the most important things we can do. Learning to accept someone else saying it is just as important. The moment we apologize and accept an apology makes our hearts vulnerable, and can make our relationships stronger. Closing your heart to an apology leaves both people damaged, and a relationship in pieces like all that broken wood.