MAKING AMENDS

I recently heard it said, "Never pass up a chance to make amends." Making "amends" means being willing to correct something from the past, to try to make right something we've done wrong. It's being willing to apologize for insult or injury you have caused.

When I was in High School Shop Class I slugged a fellow classmate. We were all standing in line when teacher had stepped from the room momentarily and someone poked me from behind several times. I ignored the first few pokes, but eventually laid aside my common sense, turned around and slugged the guy behind me in the stomach.

It was the wrong guy! Someone said, "He didn't do it," but my classmate was on his knees gasping for breath. I pulled him back up and mumbled I was sorry and felt like a fool. The teacher came back in and didn't see this, so class went on and I didn't really apologize. And I never forgot that I didn't.

Fifty years later, this fellow came to our Class Reunion and I figured it was time to make amends. I told him what I'd done and that I was sorry for it. He looked at me and said, "I don't remember any of that." I don't know how many times over the years that incident had bothered me, but he'd long since forgotten.
 
"Never pass up a chance to make amends." If I'd spoken to him right away, I wouldn't have felt guilty. Also, that incident wouldn't have become a teaching point in my classes with youth, urging them not to let a offense go without trying to make amends. It wasn't the only lesson I learned based on something stupid I'd done.

Some people try to make amends with God. They'll try this through doing good deeds to offset their sins of the past, or giving big gifts in an attempt to make up for what they've done. Some even enter a life of service to God, thinking it can make up for their sins. But that doesn't work. We'll never be able to do enough to make up for what we've done.

The good news is there is a solution. The Gospel tells us Jesus has already made up for our sins and earned our forgiveness on the cross. He's already fixed up things between us and God. Nothing we do will make amends with God, but Jesus has already done it for us.

Last week I wrote, "God loves us because of who God is, not because of what we did or didn't do." Our relationship with God is based on His goodness, not ours. As the Disciple John wrote, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10) Thanks be to God Jesus has already made amends to God on our behalf.

But let's still remember, "Never pass up a chance to make amends."

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com