Read: Read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant twice, in another translation. What do you notice about the King? What emotions do you see in him? Now imagine you are his servant. What would some of your responses possibly be? Journal what you have noticed about his emotions and actions in the story and how your response to them.

Reflect:  What do you think prompted Peter’s question about the number of times he should forgive someone? After all, we live in a world with people who wound us. Sometimes those wounds are very painful and affect us or someone we love in ways not easy to overcome. Did this kind of person need forgiveness?

If you were the king and this servant owed you a ton of money he obviously couldn’t pay, what would you have done? How might you have felt?  Why do you think the king had compassion on the servant when he begged for more time? How do you think you would have responded?

What if you were the servant? What would drive you to your knees, begging for mercy?  Then later, why would you grab someone owing you very little and show him no mercy? If you were grateful for the great forgiveness you’d been shown, how would it have affected you?

God offers you His compassionate forgiveness and mercy, at great cost, through His Son, Jesus. Your gratefulness for God’s grace in your life, directly impacts your ability to forgive others.

Take some time to journal your feelings about God’s forgiveness. There is no limit to the times He will forgive. There is no end to the depth of His love for you. Write a prayer of gratitude to Him.

Respond: Forgiving one who has wounded you isn’t easy. It isn’t always a once and done thing. Sometimes it takes a number of steps before you are able to forgive from the heart. But God calls you and me  to a way of living that takes in and gives out His grace to others.

Ask God to bring someone to mind who you need to forgive. What might He be saying to you about opening your heart and letting go of unforgiveness? Talk to God about the hurt and grieve the pain. Ask Him to help you find compassion for the one who caused the wound as you make the choice to forgive.

Holding on to bitterness and unforgiveness keeps you enslaved to the pain of the offense. Forgiveness opens the door to freedom and a deeper awareness of God’s love for you. Even if you have to go back and let go of each layer one at a time, eventually, your heart will be able to forgive.

Take a moment to listen to Corrie ten Boom as she shares her experience of forgiveness. Corie was a prisoner of the Nazis during WWII and held in a concentration camp. Her story is so impactful.