A few weeks ago, Amy’s parents and 13-year-old niece (Emma) came for a visit. Thirteen! I remember when she was born! I also remember a specific event from when she was 2.

It was another Texas invasion ... I mean, another visit from Texas. During the visit, I told Emma not to do something, but she did it anyway. Caught in the act, she was presented with a choice: (1) Say you’re sorry, or (2) go to bed.

She chose to apologize, but when it came to saying “I’m sorry,” she wouldn’t do it.

It was actually kind of funny. Emma walked up to me. She smiled at me. She batted her eyes. She tried to hug me and make it all better. But what she would not do – what she refused to do – was say, “I’m sorry.”

It was well within her ability. She had the verbal skills to do it. All she had to do was say, “I’m sorry,” and all would be forgiven.

I sat there, looking at her, trying to draw those two words out of her. I prompted her, I mouthed the words. I did everything I could to help her say, “I’m sorry” and receive the forgiveness that I so desperately wanted her to have. Yet she still refused to say it, so she was carried off to bed.

Halfway down the hall, she changed her mind. She would, in fact, apologize to Uncle Parrish, receive his forgiveness, and be allowed to stay up with everyone else.

But when she approached me, guess what she did? She hugged my arm. She smiled at me. She batted her eyes. But she would not say, “I’m sorry.”

The rest of the story is that she finally — after a good 10 minutes — uttered those words. And when she did, I forgave her.

Emma’s actions as a child often reflect our own, even in adulthood. We’ve sinned against God. He offers us forgiveness, but in order to receive it, we must say we’re sorry (i.e., repent).

What do we do instead? We try to mollify him with actions we think will please him. Actions to offset our misdeeds, actions to draw his attention away from them.

Yet we must remember that our heavenly father is not fooled. He does not want our deeds, he wants our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). He wants our repentance. He wants us to apologize for the wrongs we have committed, and turn from them completely.

And when we do, he will forgive us (1 John 1:9).

Parrish Myers is a local minister. His column appears biweekly in Sunday Life and ongainesvilletimes.com/life.