Life would be much simpler if we could forgive people “once and for all” and be done with it. Yet forgiveness is seldom that easy. We often find that forgiveness takes effort and perseverance on our part. And sometimes the person we are trying to forgive continues to engage in the behavior that we have a hard time forgiving. I believe this is what Jesus is teaching us when Peter asked Him if he should forgive his brother 7 times, and Jesus responded “70 times 7.” (Matthew 18:22)

God instructs you to treat other people exactly as you wish to be treated. And since you want to be forgiven for the mistakes that you make, you must be willing to extend forgiveness to other people for the mistakes that they have made.

If you can’t seem to forgive, ask God to help you until you do. And remember, the most important reason we should want to forgive others is the fact that God has forgiven us and loved us first, when we were undeserving, by sending His Son to die for us on the cross.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)