ABSTRACT
In the tearjerker movie Love Story, the story is told of a young couple who falls in love and has a wonderful romance, only to end with the diagnosis of a terminal illness and eventual death on the part of the young woman. As the movie progresses, and they process grief and pain, she offers the famous words to her young lover, “Love means never having to say you are sorry.” Although it was an effective line in that movie, it is not exactly helpful advice for the real world. The reality of most relationships is that love means having to say, “I’m sorry” over and over again. The biblical word for this is repentance. In Judeo-Christian understanding, saying “I’m sorry” and repentance are necessary for both forgiveness and intimacy. It is a very important part of intimate relationships.
