dear people i've been mean to

dear people i've been mean to:
i'm sorry.

it wasn't you.  it was me.  i was having a bad day/being a jerk/feeling insecure about something/ignoring all the grace that has been extended to me.
and if i don't see you again, i likely won't have a chance to make it up.
and if i do see you again, i'm going to try harder to be nice.
because you, like me, have a bruisable heart.  you, like me, probably feel mean comments much more sharply than nice ones.  and their sting stains through your memories into the present, making you feel bad when you aren't even thinking about it.
:( 
i wish i could take it back.  sometimes i remember something mean i did and it takes my breath away with its horribleness.
and it's just stuck there in the past, permanently, like a name carved into a gravestone.

this is my hope for you, dear people i've been mean to.
i hope you meet Jesus, who is always kind and never mean.  i hope you let His grace into your heart, and let Him be king.  i hope you let him take out all the ugly stings i left.  i hope you find His love to be more than equal to any hurt you've suffered - from me, from anyone.  i hope His deep joy washes out the bitterness and leaves forgiveness.  i hope you let Him in.

and this is my hope for me.  i hope that i let Him reign in me, and let Him teach me to love with His love and be kind with His kindness.  i hope He teaches me how to bear hurt without hurting back, and to apologize to all the people i have hurt.  i hope He teaches me to walk softly, to speak carefully, and to love graciously.  i hope He helps me to give kindness instead of pain.  like He does.

dear people i've been mean to:
i'm sorry.