"I think apologizing's a great thing, but you have to be wrong. I will absolutely apologize, sometime in the hopefully distant future, if I'm ever wrong." Ah, Donald. Forgive me for being political, but if nothing else, Donald Trump has certainly provided a number of "huh?" quotes this campaign season. He made the statement above to Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show a few months ago. As easy as it is to laugh at the above statement, how often are we guilty of doing exactly what he said? We apologize, but don't believe we are wrong. We utter the words "I'm sorry," but we don't truly believe it. Or, we see it in our classrooms and homes as kids fight. We force them to apologize...but do they really mean it?

I thought of this again on Sunday morning during church shortly after going through the confession and absolution. I realized that I had recited the entire confession without even realizing what I was saying. It was empty. Do I really believe that I am a poor miserable sinner? Absolutely! Do I really believe that God forgives all sin? Absolutely! Am I guilty of taking this for granted? Absolutely! This is why I love the season of Lent. Throughout this season, we journey with Christ to the cross and are reminded of the anguish, pain, betrayal, and ultimately, death that he suffered for our sins. May God continue to bless you this Lenten season!

(Jesus, Refuge of the Weary, LSB 423, V. 2)