Thirsting Thursday: "I'm Sorry"

I know, I'm crazy, but I have another harebrained idea for a new regular series on the blog.  I'm calling it "Thirsting Thursday."  No, no, I'm not talking about the "Thirsty Thursday" from your college days.  J.C. gave me the idea when he said, "I thirst" (John 19:28).

I don't know about you, but by Thursday, I'm usually thirsting.  With the weekend nearly in sight and the exhaustion of the week building up, I.  Am.  Thirsty.  I'm thirsting for inspiration, for encouragement, for a break.  

Amen, brother!

On those Thursdays when I'm needing a little pick-me-up, I thought it would be fun to revisit my previous blog posts.  I've been writing for three years, so I've accumulated all kinds of posts with fun dialogues from you readers.  On Thirsting Thursdays, let's go back to those treasured posts, pull out the nuggets, ask some new questions, add new insights, share how we're STILL struggling, and encourage each other to keep going!  

Today, let's go back to my post called, "I'm Sorry."  I published it in August 2012.  It's all about how a Catholic Answers Live episode taught Philip and I how to readily forgive one another when we're fighting.  

Philip says, "It's helpful if both people are willing to say they're sorry because usually both people contributed to the problem.  Even if you don't feel like you're wrong, saying you're sorry doesn't mean that you're wrong, but that the way you approached making your point might have been the issue rather than what you were saying.  Saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean 'I was wrong.'" 

He had this to add:  "Show the other person that you understand where they are coming from and show them that you understand their reaction.  Keeping the focus on their feelings and not just on the problem helps you both to move on.

When you get to a standstill, focus on understanding where the other person is coming from rather than trying to make them understand your point of view.  That helps us to move on faster and spend more time together."

Read the rest here.

 

After you (re)read the post, I'd love to discuss:

• Do you and your spouse have a strategy for moving through conflict faster?
• Have you noticed any patterns to your fights?  
• Are you guilty of keeping "I'm sorry score"?
• When was the last time you said the words, "I forgive you"?
• When was the last time you heard the words, "I forgive you"?

Cheers to you this Thirsting Thursday!