“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
This morning I stood in my living room, already armed with my winter coat and gloves and car keys, when I was hit with an overwhelming weight of nerves.
This has happened a few times over the past couple weeks—I’m far away from my parish. From my friends. I don’t want to experience Holy Week by myself, or with people I barely know. I need more time. I’m not ready for this part of the journey to be over yet.
I’m not ready.
I’m not ready.
Then the tears come, and I’m squeezing my gloved hands into fists trying to staunch them, which never works. I close my eyes, try to breathe, and ask God, yet again, to stay with me and calm me down.
Stay with me.
And He did.
Because His forgiveness is limitless. I can’t explain everything I’m feeling, but I don’t have to. He understands it better than I do. In that split second He forgives me yet again. “Seventy times seven.” It’s not the first time I’ve freaked out, and it won’t be the last. I can’t burden other people every single time I feel overwhelmed, but I can burden God with everything, at all times, and He listens. He answers. Also, with God, it’s never a burden.
We can learn a thing or two from Him. As human beings, we put a limit on forgiveness. I may be more forgiving than most, but even I will cut people off eventually. You don’t need that negativity in your life. Don’t let people take advantage of you. Which is true, to a degree—but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t forgive. And thank God that He hasn’t cut me off. “You’re still freaking out? Haven’t I showed you enough times that I have it under control?” He could say, “Forget it, you’re on your own. I’ve done all that I can do.”
But He doesn’t.
Remember His forgiveness. Never forget all the times He’s forgiven you. He’s unchanging. He is love.
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
