In Luke 17:4, Jesus says, “Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” That’s a tall order! But maybe Jesus isn’t giving us a math lesson in forgiveness—He’s showing us what it looks like to live with a heart that stays open, even when life gets messy. Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending something didn’t hurt or that it was okay. It means choosing to let go of the heavy stuff that keeps us from peace. It’s like clearing out emotional clutter so there’s room again for joy, kindness, and connection.
We live in a world that can feel quick to judge and slow to understand. Forgiveness helps us push back against that. It’s not about ignoring what’s wrong—it’s about believing that people, including us, can grow and do better. Sometimes the hardest part isn’t forgiving someone else; it’s forgiving ourselves for what we didn’t know, couldn’t do, or wish we had done differently. That’s where grace comes in. Grace says, “You’re more than your mistakes,” and that’s a message every one of us needs to hear.
Jesus says faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Maybe forgiveness is one of those mountains. It doesn’t happen all at once—it starts small, with one conversation, one act of understanding, one honest try. Each time we choose forgiveness, we make the world a little softer, a little kinder, a little more like the one God dreams for us all.