“Turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.”~ Acts 3:19

When we do something wrong, it’s easy to make excuses.

“Ooops! Sorry.”

“I didn’t think it would matter.”

“It’s not my fault.”

We might think that saying “I’m sorry” makes everything all better. But that’s not how God sees it.

The verse above says we are forgiven when we turn to God and give upour bad ways. Do you know the word “repent”? That’s the Bible word for turning away from the bad things we sometimes do. Repent means to say that what we did was wrong, and then change the way we think and act. Wow! That doesn’t sound like an easy thing to do, does it?

Let’s pretend for a while. Mom looks at you and asks, “Did you just eat a cookie?” You say you didn’t take one, but she says, “Then what are those crumbs I see around your mouth?” You hang your head down and say, “Sorry, Mom.” Sneaking a cookie might not seem like such a bad thing, but lying is a sin for sure. And once you start to tell lies, it gets easier and easier.

Maybe you could answer like this: “Yes, Mom, I took a cookie. I’m sorry. I know it was wrong and I’ll try to do better.” You could even say a prayer—out loud or in your heart. “Lord, you know how I love cookies. Help me to obey. Help me tell the truth.”

Even when you do something wrong, God still loves you. So does Mom. So does Dad. And the best news is that when you ask God to forgive you, he does!  Read the Bible verse again. The word forgive means “to wipe out” or “erase.” The Bible says our sins are buried in the deepest ocean. That’s really wiped out, isn’t it?

This is a great big lesson that we must keep learning and practicing. Yes, even grownups are still working on this lesson. Your jobis to repent. You say, “Yes, God, I did that. I was wrong.” God’s jobis to forgive. He says, “I have erased it. I won’t think about it again.”

Saying, “I’m sorry” is good, but check to make sure there’s nothing bad hiding behind your words.