How Can We Forgive When We Just Can't?
True forgiveness cannot happen until we move the nurturing off of ourselves and onto those who offend us. Forgiveness is really about the offender, not the offended. Failing to forgive can even be a form of bullying because, when it comes to making amends, the one who is offended often holds the power. And forgiveness is necessary because, when we are wronged, there's always more harm than can be fixed. Jesus illustrated this with a story about a servant with a ridiculously large monetary debt. When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often do I have to forgive a believer who wrongs me?,” he was probably concerned mostly about himself. Maybe he had specific people in mind, people who had offended him multiple times. So, when Peter suggested “seven times” as a good measure of forgiveness, he may have already met that quota and was ready to offload the burden of making amends onto the offender. Have you considered that maybe Peter wanted to dismiss himself of his responsibility