January 16

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” — Matt 18:21 BSB

When someone has wronged us, the Christian way is to go to them in love and talk it over. It might just be a misunderstanding that can be cleared up with a simple conversation. Often, both parties share some of the blame when things go wrong between neighbors.

“There is so much bad in the best of us,
And so much good in the worst of us,
That it hardly behooves any of us
To talk about the rest of us.”

Our forgiveness should be unlimited. The rabbis taught that a person should only forgive up to three times. Peter thought he was being generous when he suggested forgiving someone seven times. But Jesus said forgiveness should be offered seventy times seven times—limitless.