The game of sweet revenge. Do you remember that game? Everyone knows that game, don’t they?
How to Play
You pick your color pawns. To get out of start space, you must pick a 1 or 2 card to get out. Each card is a number and or has instructions. The rule we all know so well, is that if you land on a space that is already occupied by another players pawn, you bump them all the way back to START! The 4 and 10 cards move you backwards and YES! You can move a pawn backwards into the Safety Zone if you moved a pawn 2 spaces away from START. Are you having fun yet? The goal of this game is to get all your pawns home.
I recently read an apology letter that a woman sent to her church. She was apologizing for teaching children and others wrong biblical concepts that someone else had showed her. There is really nothing to say except that it is a beautiful letter. You can read it here: Apology Letter
I got to thinking about this letter. It is a beautiful ownership of a wrong that was done with a corrective action as a repair. It is the epitome of a truly awesome apology. In this case, the woman is apologizing for spreading toxic biblical messages that have been found to be harmful to women in general. She was given these messages as a young teen, and then continued to teach them as an adult. She later found out, that what she was taught and had been teaching, and deep down she always questioned and just didn’t feel right about, was harmful not only to others but even herself. Her apology letter is also an apology to herself as well.
You have to think deeper about this letter and remember. Remember what? Remember that she was taught the messages she was teaching. How was she to know that the messages she learned as a young teen were wrong? She trusted an adult and a church and their leadership to give her the true message of Jesus. LOVE.
How does this relate to SORRY!?
When we play the game of Sorry! It is the sweet game of revenge. Think about that time when your brother landed on that space where your pawn was sitting, and he said SORRY! He didn’t mean it did he? In fact, he thought it was funny. He laughed and so did you, because you just got wronged and you cannot wait to draw a card from that deck when it is your turn, so you can land on his spot and send him back to START!
I hope for you that you did not receive wrong Jesus messages along your path. I hope that if you did, that you recognize them and are taking necessary steps to repair those messages and heal.
My message today is about what to do and what not to do when you say sorry.
Everyone knows the game of SORRY! It’s the game of sweet revenge. I hope that when you see a wrong that was given to you by another that you continued to carry, that instead of being like your brother, you can be just like our writer.
- Recognize the wrong.
- Allow yourself to work through your emotions to start the healing process.
- Do the work to continue to heal from the wrong.
- Humble in ownership.
- Does not take on shame and guilt but rather an example of responsibility.
- Take loving corrective action.
- Does not take direct blame on self but also does not impose direct blame on others. Offers a solution to the problem and takes educative action and does not allow self to continue with the old ways.
- Understand the difference between a changed mind set and planting seeds.
- Recognize that only yourself can make changes and we cannot change others. Therefore, others may still hold onto old beliefs and continue on the wrong path.
- Test the Fruit with Jesus!
- Good Fruit will reveal itself. Even if it appears good at first, continue to verify the results with scripture, other significant leaders and most of all ask: What Would Jesus Do?
Does it all fit?
How to Play
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?