I Am Sorry That You Feel That Way

Have  you ever heard the non-apology apology?  They are very common in politics and public relations.  A speaker reads a statement that acknowledges no wrong doing and generally expresses remorse for something unrelated to the actual problem.  They are more sorry that they have to read this statement than anything else.  There is actually a wikipedia page on this.

It is like saying, "I'm sorry that you feel that way." It says this is your problem not mine.  It's about how you perceive my actions not what I have done.  It is like saying, "I'm not sorry at all, I just wish that you weren't upset with me."

How many of us take the same approach with God.  I am sorry that you feel that way God, but I am still doing my own thing.  I know what you want from me God, and I am sorry that you feel that way.  We know what the right choice is, but that is not what we are going to do.  And we are sorry that God has a problem with it.  We see it as God's problem, not ours.

So what area of our lives do we tell God, "I'm sorry that you feel that way." CS Lewis described redemption as total surrender, obedience to God's will over our own.  I think where God is calling for surrender, we sometimes try to make do with a cease fire.