This week's theme: Forgiveness.

Today we're going deeper into one specific moment in scripture that changed how I think about forgiveness forever.

THE SEVENTY-TIMES-SEVEN QUESTION

Peter walks up to Jesus and asks a question that I think most of us have wanted to ask.

Peter thought he was being generous. In rabbinic tradition at the time, forgiving someone three times was considered the limit. Three strikes and you're out. Peter doubled it and added one for good measure. Seven. Surely seven is enough?

Jesus answered:

Some translations say "seventy times seven" which is 490. Either way, the point isn't the number. The point is that you'd stop counting long before you got there.

Jesus wasn't giving Peter a forgiveness budget. He was telling him to stop keeping a tally entirely.

Most of us are still counting.

We count what they did and how often. We count the times we've already forgiven them. We count what they owe us versus what we owe them. We keep a mental ledger because we want to know when we've reached the limit. When we can finally say "that's it, no more chances."

Jesus says: throw the ledger away.

Now here's where I want to be careful, because this verse has been weaponised against people in unhealthy situations. "Forgive seventy times seven" has been used to keep abuse victims in abusive marriages, to silence people who were genuinely wronged, to demand a level of saintly endurance that nobody should be expected to have.

That is not what Jesus meant. Forgiveness is not the same as access. You can forgive someone and still have firm boundaries with them. You can forgive someone and never let them hurt you again. You can forgive someone and walk away from the relationship entirely.

Forgiveness is internal. Reconciliation is relational. They're not the same thing.

What Jesus is talking about is the internal state. He's saying don't be the kind of person who tracks every offence and waits for the moment to cash it in. Don't carry a mental ledger that gets heavier every year. Don't measure people by their worst moments and refuse to let them grow.

But the practical wisdom is also still there: protect yourself. Boundaries are biblical. Distance is biblical. Self-preservation is biblical.

You can forgive someone in your heart and never see them again. You can release them spiritually and keep them at arm's length physically. Those two things don't contradict each other. They actually go together.

The reason Jesus says forgive seventy-seven times isn't because the other person deserves it. It's because you deserve to live without a ledger. Carrying counts is exhausting. Tracking offences is a full-time job. And every offence you record is a piece of bitterness you bury in your soul.

Throw the ledger away. Not for them. For you.

YOUR ONE THING FOR TODAY

Mentally scan your relationships. Is there someone you've been keeping count on? Tracking their offences? Storing them up to bring out later? Today, decide to stop counting. Even if you're still working on forgiveness with them. Stop the tally. The ledger isn't helping you. It's draining you.

OVER TO YOU

Who have you been keeping a tally on? You don't have to name them. Just hit reply and say "I'm putting the ledger down." That's enough. I read every one.

God bless you, my friend.

P.S. Quick update on what I mentioned yesterday. I've been writing a new eBook for the last few weeks. It's all about identity. Who God actually says you are versus who the world keeps telling you you are. I'll share the title and cover with you in the next day or two. Newsletter subscribers will get first access before anyone else. I think it’s my best work to date and I’m really excited to share it with you!

P.P.S. Every eBook and merch purchase directly supports this ministry and helps keep The Quiet Word free. Browse the store at https://thelowkeychristian.com