One fateful night in the church parking area, Sam stalled the car about halfway down the drive to the back office. I assumed he had stopped to make us get out and walk. Always trying to pull off some shenanigans, I hopped upon the closed tailgate. Without looking into his rear-view mirror, he restarted the car, put it in gear and stepped on the gas. I fell straight back, my head hitting the pavement. The world went black for a moment and I lay there on the ground, unable to move. Sam hadn’t even realized I had fallen out.

Actual church driveway where I fell out.

Dear Renee,

I really truly am sorry for hurting you like that. I know ‘sorry’ is probably a real lame word to you right now, but it’s all I can say. I guess you know it won’t happen again. Neither of us is stupid enough to be caught in that situation again, not that you were stupid the first time (ha,ha). I don’t really know of anything I can say to make you feel better, but if there’s anything I can do to lighten the load at school or anything like that, just let me know. Just remember if anyone ever picks on you (except me, of course), tell them if they don’t stop, your big brother will take them for a ride they’ll never forget! Now, when we watch the Super Bowl at a party or something and a player gets a concussion, you can jump up and say,"Hey,I know what that feels like, it hurts like." I hope you are laughing by now.

Sammy

You see, even at a young age of 16, my brother Sam, displayed such noble character.  Instead of shifting blame to me for not being seated properly or trying to get me in trouble and him out of trouble, he took responsibility and was deeply sorry for injuring me that day, even making restitution. You see, he valued our relationship and knew how to apologize and take responsibility when needed in order to maintain a lasting, trustworthy relationship with me…his sister. 

Sam and I as teenagers.

“Apologizing doesn’t always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right.  It means you value your relationship more than your ego.” Unknown

Do you have someone in your life who made an impact on you, perhaps a close sibling or a friend?  Do you have a memory in which maybe the circumstances weren’t ideal, but it made a lasting impression on you?  Perhaps someone even hurt you unintentionally, but cared enough to apologize and make things right. Or maybe you are holding a grudge against someone who may not even know they hurt you.  Maybe someone did intentionally hurt you and they aren’t sorry (that is the hardest, I can attest). 

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

We should always be kind to those who seek our forgiveness, just as God has forgiven us.  Regardless of our transgressions towards God, HE forgives us. Maybe it’s time for you to either forgive or seek forgiveness towards someone else. Remember forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget what the other person did, but it does set you free from the bondage of bitterness and unforgiveness. It allows you the freedom to move forward.

If you struggling with forgiveness, I’d love to pray for you. You can email me your prayer requests at renee@reneenickell.com.

 

For more life-changing encouragement and hope, you can read more about Sam and I in my memoir “Always My Hero'“, available at all online retailers.

 



























 

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